Memories
by ayachan12
Summary: When Kaho and the rest go to Fuyuumi's villa during the summer once again, an unexpected accident occurs and Kaho ends up losing her memories. She decides to keep it a secret, but what is she to do when a certain blue-head gets suspicious of her attitude?
1. Returning to the Villa

This is my first fan fiction, so I hope you all enjoy. Please Read and Review!

**Returning to the Villa**

"Shoot! I'm late," the red-haired girl said, panicked, as she ran towards the station.

"Ah! Kaho-chan," Hihara called for her, waving his hands as he saw rushing up the stairs.

"Gomen, gomen!" She smiled as she gasped for air. "I'm late again, eh?" 

"The train is here… Shall we go?" asked a sleepy voice. Kahoko, Tsukimori, Hihara, Fuyuumi, Kanayan, Yunoki, Shimizu, Amou and Tsuchiura entered the train.

"Why did I come here again?" Tsukimori sighed as he asked the question.

"Can't we have fun, Tsukimori-kun? Its summer holidays after all…" Kahoko smiled.

"She's right, Tsukimori!" Hihara said cheerfully. "You must enjoy summer holidays!"

"Well, put that aside," Kanayan said, "We're entering now.

They were now at the front of the enormous villa. It was going to be a week before they returned home. Tsukimori took a glance at Kanayan, who, was snickering. Tsukimori narrowed his eyes on Kanayan.

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Yesterday

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"Oi! Tsukimori! Everyone is going to the Fuyuumi villa tomorrow. Why don't you come?" Kanayan offered.

"Why should I?" he replied, icily. "I've got to practise my violin so I can improve. I'd be wasting my time if I went."

"Ah, I see," Kanayan said sarcastically. "So that's what Tsuchiura meant when you didn't have any time for—"

"Shut up!" Tsukimori was pissed. "**Ano yarou**… I'll kill him…" Tsukimori cursed under his breath. Tsukimori then agreed, annoyed and angry.

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Reality

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"Tsukimori-kun? Tsukimori-kun?" Kaho's voice was calling him. "Are you alright?"

"Ah… Yeah…" Tsukimori replied.

"That's good." The crimson-colored hair girl smiled as she went after Fuyuumi. She was in front of him—in fact everyone was already inside.

"Kanazawa sensei, have you arranged our rooms yet?" Kaho asked. "We need to unpack by tonight so can you decide faster?"

"In fact, I've arranged it already. But you all have agreed—_promised_ to listen to my rules, at least this one," he replied. "Eto… Amou and Fuyuumi, room 1, Yunoki, Shimizu and Hihara in room 2…" "Sensei will be in room 3, and…" He looked cautiously at their faces before he announced the next pairing.

"In room 4, the pairing will be Tsuchiura, Tsukimori and Hino."

Silence filled the room. No one moved. The person to disturb the silence was Hino Kahoko. "Eh?"

"Rejected!" Tsuchiura and Tsukimori shouted, annoyed.

"Who would want to be in the same room as this anti-social idiot?!" Tsuchiura argued as he pointed to Tsukimori. The argument caused the silence to be completely broken. Tsukimori and Tsuchiura were arguing yet again.

Kanayan sighed, knowing this would happen. He was always interested if they had liked Hino enough to accept the pairing. Knowing Hihara liked her, he instantly changed the pairing. "Okay, okay, the pairing will change," he said, slyly.

"Hihara and Tsuchiura will exchange rooms."

Tsuchiura and Tsukimori stopped arguing as they scowled to the floor.

"Kanazawa sensei, can we unpack so we won't have to worry about unpacking when we return?" Fuyuumi pleaded with her shy, soft voice.

"I guess so," he replied. "All of you unpack!"

Kaho had gotten nervous by the fact she was sleeping in the same room as two guys, but there wasn't any other choice, because she didn't want to make a fuss and get everyone troubled. She unpacked silently in the same room as Tsukimori and Hihara.

They'd all unpacked, gotten cleaned, and were ready to go to the lake not far from Fuyuumi's villa. Fuyuumi had suggested it to Kaho, so Kaho decided to invite everyone as well. Not being able reject the crimson-haired girl, they all agreed to go. Kanayan would always go whenever there was 'fun' to be mentioned.

It wasn't a far walk to the lake. It took roughly 15 minutes to get there by walk. The three girls were laughing together joyfully, while the guys were walking in silence. Kaho and Tsukimori had brought their violins, Fuyuumi brought two baskets of food for a picnic and Kanayan had brought his ego.

Knowing that the place was a good place to swim, the girls had brought their swimsuits along with them. Kaho wore hers under her clothes, because there would be guys there, and no place to change.

"Hino-san?" Tsukimori called for her. Finally realizing she'd been standing in the same position for a few moments, she flushed, nodded, and moved towards the lake.

Kaho looked around and realized that only Hihara, Tsukimori and she were there. "Ara? Sensei and everyone—"

"They went to the other side of the lake because Fuyuumi and Amou wanted to see the flower field," Tsukimori explained. "They said it might take a while so we can just roam around."

There was a lake, with grass all around. Beyond the other side of the lake, there was a green field, and, further up, tiny colorful things were seen; flowers. The flowers were quite far away. Thus, it _would_ take a while.

"Kaho-chan!" Hihara called her eagerly. "Look, stepping stones," he said as he pointed at man-made stepping stones leading to the other side of the lake. The stepping stones were made, from the ground that was underwater to the surface, a cement substance that led towards the other side.

_One, two, three, four, five—_Kaho was counting the amount of stepping stones, yet, soon lost count, because of the distance. "It's pretty, ne, Tsukimori-kun?" Kaho's gaze was focused on the glittery lake.

"Mm…" he mumbled to show he agreed.

"Hihara-senpai, don't you think so too?" she smiled gently.

"H-H-Ha-Hai!" he stuttered nervously at her sweet, gentle smile—he even blushed. (Hai means 'yes', for your information!)

Kaho looked at the stepping stones. _They seem a bit slippery…_

Hihara, thinking Kaho wanted to hop on the stepping stones, asked, "Kaho-chan, shall we go to the other side of the lake using these stepping stones?"

"Eh? Umm…" Not wanting to hurt his feelings, she agreed. "Hai." 

Hihara went in front, Kaho behind him, and Tsukimori behind her.

"Umm…Hihara-senpai, why'd you suddenly ask me to the lake?" Kaho asked curiously.

"Eh? Ermm… Uhh…" Hihara looked away silently, nervous. His face flushed a bright red, and he hopped quickly to the other side, rushing towards the flower garden, and shouting, "I'm going to get some flowers! Wait there!!!!"

(The way he runs is shown in La Corda d' Oro episode 7 when he mentions to Kahoko that he spilt her tea)

"Hihara-senpai!" she called out, as she took a step forward. Her foot slipped as she started falling sideways. "Ah!"

"Hino!" Tsukimori reached for her hand as she was falling.

Kaho looked at Tsukimori as she fell. "Tsuki-mori-kun?" she whispered to herself. She turned her head to face the way she was falling, and realized she was about to hit a rock. Her eyes opened widely, as she hit her head and lost consciousness.

Tsukimori managed to grab her hand as he tugged her towards him. Unable to catch her, they both fell the other way, falling into the water. When they fell into the water, he let go of her hand, not knowing she was unconscious. He swam to the surface of the water to get some air.

"Hino?" he called, searching for her, as he floated. When he realized she wasn't coming to the surface of the water, he dived into the water to search for her. There were a lot of fish swimming underwater, but no crimson-haired girl. Finally, he saw her body; sinking. He dived deeper and got her. He held her tightly to his chest as her swam to the surface, then, to land.


	2. Forgotten

Chapter 2 uploaded! Please R&R but don't forget to enjoy! xD

**Forgotten**

"Hino?" Tsukimori called for the soaked, motionless girl with crimson red hair. "Hino-san?" Tsukimori called for her again, but she didn't seem to react. Kaho's eyes remained shut as Tsukimori held her wrist to check for a pulse. Kaho's pulse could be felt easily—so she was okay. Only unconscious. Tsukimori sighed in relief to himself.

The sky was a mixture of three colors—orange, yellow and red. It was evening, and everyone was returning to the lake to gather—including Hihara. Tsukimori watched the six of them walk towards the lake from the flower field from a distance as he waited; for them to arrive and for Kaho to awake.

Kaho opened her eyes slightly, managing to see a nametag. "Tsuki…mori…" she read the name slowly.

"Hino." Kaho sat up in an instant as soon as she heard her name being called. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain coming from her mind. She immediately shut her eyes and held the temples of her head. "Hino, what's wrong?" Tsukimori asked her, confused.

"Nothing," Kaho replied, not changing her position. Slowly, she opened her eyes and let go of her temples. She looked at Tsukimori—the guy with blue hair who was extremely good-looking. _This person… He seems to know me… Who is he?  
Tsuki…mori… _Kaho read the name from his nametag again.

"Hihara-senpai," Tsukimori said as he looked at a cheerful green-haired boy coming towards him and Kaho.

"Kaho-chan!" Hihara called as he rushed towards her, waving his hand cheerfully. _Who is he…? That's odd… I can't seem to remember anything... _"Kaho-chan, gomen! For running away like that…"

Kaho shook her head to show it was alright. She couldn't remember about the things he was talking about, no matter how much she thought. Then, an image of Hihara running away from her (in embarrassment) flashed into her mind. She widened her eyes as she saw the image in shock, and soon squeezed her eyes shut. One of her hands held her temples as the other one held her chest tightly. The pain had returned, but she was somehow glad she managed to remember something.

"Hino?" Tsukimori called for her, worried and confused. His calling was soon followed after with a few other callings.

"Kaho-chan?!" 

"Kaho-senpai!" 

"Hino-san?" 

The callings seemed louder—they must've gotten closer. Kaho raised her hand to assure them she was fine. She smiled at them weakly, trying to hide the pain. "Gomen, it's nothing…" Kaho told them as she removed the hand holding her temples. "Umm… I think I'll be staying here for a while, if it's alright," she told them. "I'm going to practice here for a bit so…" Her eyes faced the flower field as she smiled.

(Wait, you people _do_ know that the temple is a part of the head, right?)

"Then, I'll stay with you, Kaho-chan!" Hihara offered cheerfully as he smiled. Just then, his stomach growled loudly—uncontrolabbly, to be exact… Everyone started to laugh, while Hihara flushed a bright red on his cheeks.

Kaho smiled at him. "It's okay, umm… Hihara…" Everyone eyed her suspiciously—she'd never called Hihara without 'senpai'… _Oops… Am I supposed to say senpai?_ "…senpai!" Kaho continued. "If you don't get something to eat then your body won't be happy with you." Kaho smiled at him sweetly.

"She's cute…" Tsuchiura, Tsukimori, Hihara and Yunoki thought.

"Let's go!" Amou called for the boys in excitement. "Fuyuumi is going to cook dinner today so let's hurry up!"

"Ah! Amou-senpai, please don't go announcing it like that next time," Fuyuumi protested in a soft, shy voice.

The group, excluding Kaho, went back to the villa. Tsukimori stayed behind, to check on Kaho—to make sure she was alright. The crimson-haired girl usually said his name by adding a 'kun' at the end of it and Hihara with a 'senpai' at the end without a pause. Tsukimori was worried—curious—on her actions.

Tsukimori hid behind a tree on a hill, nearby the huge lake and Kahoko.

As soon as the Gen Ed student was sure that everyone had left, she dropped to the ground, crying. "Why can't I remember anything?!" she cried. "I don't even know these people yet they seem to know me… Well…" "I didn't want to hurt their feelings so I pretended to know them by listening to what other people called them…" '_Tsukimori' with the name tag and 'Hihara' with Tsukimori calling him…_ She thought to

herself, upset.

Seeing Kaho cry, Tsukimori grabbed his violin case, turned around and headed back to the villa.

_What is making her upset all of a sudden? She'd been okay ever since we'd gotten here but she'd been acting strange ever since she woke up…_ Tsukimori couldn't understand the Gen Ed student's feelings. He was worried about her.

(Okay, this is Tsukimori we're talking about… maybe _slightly_ anxious?)

Kaho looked at the violin, yearning to play it. She knew it was hers. She remembered that, at least. She stood up, grabbed her violin, and started to play '_Ave Maria'_. With tears of happiness rolling down her cheeks, Kaho was glad that she hadn't forgotten how to play the violin.

"Corda," she whispered softly as she played her piece, "I'm glad I didn't forget anything about you." The corners of Kaho's mouth rose slightly, showing a smile.

After playing the tune, Kaho remembered about the swimsuit she wore under her clothes. The pain returned when she saw the memory, and so, she had to curl up into a ball, holding her temples and squeezing her eyes shut once again.

It was night time and there was a full moon in the sky. "I guess I'll go swimming now," Kaho said as she took of her shirt and her skirt, revealing a white, string-strapped bikini. She flushed a light pink, knowing it was embarrassing to wear something so… _revealing._

Hino Kahoko dived into the warm water, gracefully. (Water is warm at night, if you didn't know! I follow the laws of science!) _Theres a lot of fish… _She thought as she stared at the colorful colors of the schools of fish.

It wasn't long before Kaho rose to the surface of the water and swam to land. She felt the chilly wind blow against her wet skin which made it feel like ice. She was about to take out a towel when she saw Sakura petals fly in past her. (Sakura petals are Cherry Blossom petals)

"It's beautiful…" she whispered as she looked at the Sakura petals flying into the sky as if trying to reach for the moon. Her eyes widened as she remembered another memory, and soon accompanied by a sharp pain beating against her mind. Every time she had gotten a memory back, the pain tortured her, as if not wanting her to remember no matter what.

A memory of Tsukimori and Kahoko, playing _Ave Maria_ together at the night of the camp, where they were playing under the moon and the breeze was comforting them. The tune and the images were flashing in her mind over and over again, unable to give her any peace—torturing her. She screamed in pain, as she fell to the ground, unable to take the pain, and soon, became unconscious.

I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading! Please don't forget to review!


	3. Thoughts

This one is a little less interesting. Please R&R though. Enjoy!

**Thoughts**

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**Night**

**------**

**10 PM**

Room 1

"Kaho-senpai still hasn't returned, has she?" Fuyuumi asked Amou, concerned about the senpai she treasured most.

"Don't worry about it, Fuyuumi," Amou comforted. "I'm sure she'll come back soon to eat the dinner you made… And sleep."

The two girls then fell asleep in their room, peacefully and undisturbed, in two separate beds.

Room 2 

"Do you think Hino is back in this villa, yet?" Tsuchiura asked Yunoki as he covered a blanket over Shimizu, who was already fast asleep on a single bed.

"Are you worried?" Yunoki asked as he faced Tsuchiura with his _fake _smile.

"Not in particular…" Tsuchiura replied. "Just wondering if she's okay…"

"I think Hino-san is fine," Yunoki said. "We should just go to sleep now." Tsuchiura headed for the sofa while Yunoki slept on the bed.

The boys in room 2 soon fell asleep, silently and peacefully.

Room 3

"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…"

Kanzawa was deep in sleep, snoring loudly…

(Let's not disturb him, okay?)

Room 4

This room was the most disturbed room. The air was heavy, and both boys were anxious with their other roommates' non-arrival. It was already 10 at night, way past dinner time, when Kaho had stayed there alone, at approximately 6 in the evening.

Tsukimori was restless, worrying for the crimson-haired girl, who was crying near the lake, for a reason even he couldn't understand. _Should I have asked her just now? It has nothing to do with me. _The blue-headed boy couldn't stop feeling concerned.

"Kaho-chan…" Hihara whispered as he thought of her, hoping she'd return soon. The green-headed boy was concerned about the red-haired girl, who seemed to be nearby the lake, practicing.

"Should we go to the lake and search for Kaho-chan?" Hihara asked his kouhai. "She hasn't eaten dinner yet…"

"Hihara-senpai, Hino-san should be okay," the blue-haired boy replied. In fact, he wanted to do the same thing, but since she had been so eager to be alone… "Besides, it's not my business."

"Mm…" Hihara mumbled. "You're right…" The room was silent until Hihara exclaimed, something unexpected. "AH! K-K-Kaho-chan is s-s-sleeping in the same r-r-r-room as us!" he stuttered, shocked.

"Kanazawa-sensei told us not to complain, as we've promised," Tsukimori said, undisturbed.

"B-B-But a girl sleeping in the same room as two g-g-guys," Hihara said, alarmed.

"Hihara-senpai, you shouldn't worry about that as long as you don't—"

"AAHHHH!!!" Hihara shouted as he blushed, his face as red as Kaho's hair. "Don't say that!"

Tsukimori sighed. "I'm going to sleep," he said as he reached for the bed." Hihara grabbed a pillow, as he made his bed, which was on the sofa—so Kaho could sleep on the other bed.

The beds were close together, about only quarter a meter apart. Tsukimori's hands could reach the other bed easily. He was going to sleep like this for a week, with Kaho sleeping on the other bed, considering his senpai was too considerate towards the crimson-haired girl. Tsukimori looked away from the other bed, turning to the other side of the bed, facing towards the window.

"It's none of my business," the violinist whispered in the darkness, as he tried to erase his thoughts for Kaho. He shut his eyes and tried to get some rest, although he knew it probably wasn't going to work, because of his concern towards the Hino Kahoko.

**11 PM**

Room 4

Kaho still wasn't back from the lake yet. Hihara's snore muffled any other sound that was heard in the room. It wasn't too loud, but neither were the other sounds. Tsukimori was up, twisting from the left to right side from time to time, disturbed because of the girl's non-arrival.

"Kaho-chan…" Hihara was sleep talking—obviously, he wasn't in any peaceful condition.

_Where is she? Could she still be practicing? __At this time? _Tsukimori's thoughts were revolving around that female violinist, and somehow he couldn't stop thinking about her. He grunted, annoyed, as he shut his eyes again, trying to get some sleep, before he was disturbed by Hihara waking him up the next morning.

**12 AM**

Room 1

"Kaho-senpai… I wonder if she's back by now," the green-haired girl whispered, concerned for her senpai, who was fit to be her nee-san. "I hope she has eaten by now." Fuyuumi rolled in bed, falling asleep in seconds.

Room 4

Hihara had woken up, still sleepy, and concerned. He knew the red-haired girl still wasn't in the room, even though it was midnight. He stuffed his face into his pillow, trying to rest—to be less concerned.

Tsukimori was still awake; he hadn't gotten any rest even though he had been on his bed for almost two hours. He sighed, as he looked outside the window, lying down. _A full moon. _The silver moon was shining brightly, as if glittery, as it had been on the night he and Kaho had played Ave Maria together, the last time they had been here.

Hihara, after staying up for at least 30 minutes, soon fell asleep again, and started to snore silently as he murmured 'Kaho-chan' from time to time.

**1 AM**

Room 4

Tsukimori couldn't take it anymore. As long as he knew she wasn't safe, he couldn't sleep, and was restless. Silently, he got up as he changed his clothes quickly, and snuck out of the room. He went out of the villa, and went out into the darkness, heading towards the lake, searching for _her._

Is it nice? Please tell me if you like it! xD


	4. Memorable Night

Chapter 4 is uploaded. Please enjoy! Don't for get to leave a review.

**Memorable Night**

Tsukimori searched for Kaho, as he jogged around the lake. Then, he saw her, lying on the grass beside the lake, in her swimsuit, sleeping—or at least that was what it looked like. She was facing sideways, her knees bent.

"Hino," he whispered softly, as he walked towards the unmoving person. He stood in front of her as he took a look at her. She seemed really good-looking in her swimsuit. Her hair and skin seemed to glitter, as the light from the moon shined on her. The water improved the shininess.

"Gomen…" she whispered, as a tear rolled down her cheek slowly. Tsukimori took a step back, afraid if she were awake. Her body was shivering, probably because of the night breeze, which was in fact, quite chilly.

"Hino…" Tsukimori took his jacket off, and wrapped around Kaho. Her eyelids twitched but she didn't appear to be awake. Tsukimori sighed, and called for her to wake up. "Hino-san, wake up." Her eyes moved slightly, but she didn't seem to wake up. "Hino," Tsukimori tried again.

Kaho woke up, opening her eyes slightly. _What's his name again…?_ "Tsuki…mori…" She gasped as she realized she was in his hands, and opened her eyes fully, alarmed. She got up, blushing; embarrassed.

"Ah, gomen…" Tsukimori said as he realized she was blushing. "Why were you sleeping here?"

Kaho looked away, as she remembered the pain she received, enough to knock her out. "I don't know," she lied. She didn't want him, or anyone to know that she had forgotten about them. She didn't want them to leave her, to be all alone. _Would they leave me if they find out? I don't want to risk it_. She wouldn't want to be alone, with no one to help her—no one to care about her.

"Let's go back to the villa," Tsukimori said, as he grabbed her violin case and her bag. "You're freezing."

"Tsukimori!" Kaho called as he walked further away from her, closer to the villa. "Let's play Ave Maria tomorrow night together?"

Tsukimori was shocked for her to ask him such a random question, including when she needed warmth and food. "Mm." He agreed, as he remembered the night they played _Ave Maria_ together—the night to remember.

"Hino," Tsukimori called, as she walked along side with him, "Why are you wearing such a thing?"

Kaho was in fact, not listening. She was too busy with her thoughts—her memories. _It's easy to get my memory back if I look at the right things and think about it properly but the pain is hard to manage… I wonder if I'll be able to somehow make the pain go away next time I remember something so everyone won't be so worried. _This was a big problem to her. She'd be bending down slightly, squeezing her eyes and holding her temples every time she remembered something that she hadn't expected and probably one of her friends would probably worry and call a doctor.

_A doctor is the bane of my existence—for now. _Seeing a doctor, who could find out that she was having amnesia, could even tell her friends, who may ditch her. Well, kind of amnesia. She hadn't really forgotten absolutely _everything_, but indeed, most things. Kaho didn't want her friends to leave her for particularly any reason, considering she didn't have much left anymore. She didn't know how she used to feel before she had lost her memories about everyone and most crucially, she didn't know them.

"Hino?" Tsukimori called for the disoriented girl who seemed to be standing motionless under the silver moon. "Hino-san?"

Finally, Kaho seemed to be aware that he was calling her over and over again, and reacted. "Eh… Gomen, Tsukimori…" Kaho said as she faced the moon. "It's pretty, eh?"

"Mm…" Tsukimori found this the perfect moment to ask the girl the reason she was crying. "Hino," he said, as he looked at her right in the eye, "why were you crying, when we had all left just now?"

His words seemed to have shocked her. There was only one thing Kaho thought of.

_He saw._

Kaho looked away again, as she tried to think of an excuse. She couldn't tell him that she had lost her memory and was crying because of that. He would probably bring her to a doctor… or ditch her…

"It's nothing." Hino strode off in front of him, heading to the villa. She didn't say a word as she walked, but she noticed he wasn't moving.

"Hino-san," he said in a confused voice, "the villa is that way." Tsukimori pointed to his right.

"…"

Kaho followed behind him, making sure there was a meter apart in between them, so he wouldn't be able to ask a question easily. She didn't know how to answer or what to say. _I can't counter any of Tsukimori's words..._

An image of Tsukimori telling her that he couldn't accept her, flashed in her head, as she heard his voice speaking it in her head as well. She remembered the fact she couldn't counter any of Tsukimori's words, because she couldn't tell him about the magic violin.

The Gen Ed student immediately fell to the floor, in the same position as before, when she felt the same sharp pain. It felt like someone hammering her head, as if making sure she'd get punishment for remembering. _Am I not supposed to remember? Am I not allowed to? _The student didn't understand why she had to receive such a pain, just to get a gift, such as her memories.

"Hino!" She heard a voice—Tsukimori's voice—calling her name as she tried to pretend she was alright. Soon, the pain subsided, and only the voice of Tsukimori's calling could be heard. "Hino, are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah…" she said softly, as she smiled awkwardly. Tsukimori was right in front of her, crouching down, staring at her face, anxious.

"You still haven't answered my question," he reminded her. "I don't understand you. You seemed fine until we came to this lake when you fell into the water."

_Fell into the water? Maybe that's what caused this… But how did it affect my brain?_

"Hino! Are you listening?" Tsukimori was glaring at her, slightly angry, yet anxious. "You've been having those headaches for a while now… Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," she replied, quickly and coldly. It couldn't be helped. After all, if she spoke slowly and warmly, Tsukimori would obviously realize she was lying. Not something she wanted…

Kaho stood up, as she stared at the movement of the dark green grass which was being blown by the wind that was under her. Her hair was being blown as well as her cold body which was shivering because of the feeling of frost.

Tsukimori got up, and headed towards the villa, not saying another word. He was concerned about his roommate, who seemed to be hiding something.

Kaho's face was as gloomy/ sad, as the time she'd broken her violin strings during the competition (concours) and decided to give up on her violin. Her _corda_.

(Corda is the name of Kaho's violin, which also means 'bond')

When they had gotten back to the villa, it was 2am in the morning. The hallways were dark, which caused Kaho to trip onto Tsukimori by accident, while trying to search for their room. Kaho apologized, while Tsukimori stood up coolly, saying it was alright.

"Hino," Tsukimori called for her, "aren't you going to eat? You haven't had dinner."

Kaho shook her head, saying she wasn't hungry, and continued searching for their room.

When the both of them had finally found it, they entered silently; making sure their senpai was undisturbed in his sleep. Kaho went to the bathroom to take a shower and change, returning to the dark room wearing a pink, silky night gown, and went to sleep on the other bed. Tsukimori was already on his bed, shutting his eyes.

Kaho started to cry silently, as she tried her best to achieve her goals—her memories. It hurt her, but she kept on trying, no matter how much the pain was, even though it hurt so much until she had to at most, shriek softly. She was gasping for breath, knowing that the pain was hard to stand.

Tsukimori saw her tears, and her eyes squeezing, but her hands were not on her temples. He could hear her gasping for air, as if she couldn't breath. "Hino?"

Kaho couldn't hear him, as she was listening to her memories, crying, and trying to withstand the pain. Tsukimori looked at her, concerned, but knew she'd tell him there was nothing wrong if he had asked._I'll ask her tomorrow, when we're alone. Wait, maybe if I ask her in front of someone else, she'll have to answer. _Tsukimori had to wait until the next day, to receive an answer, from the crying girl, sooner or later. He wanted to know, what was making her so upset.

Thinking Tsukimori was asleep, after having being hammered on the head; Kaho reached for his hand, and held it as she shut her eyes. Tsukimori opened his eyes as he looked at her, surprised at her actions. He ignored it, as soon, he fell asleep.

_I hope it's good. Please review! The next one may take some time to upload though. I'm a bit busy these days…_


	5. True Illusions Or Fake?

_Sorry! This chapter took a while to make. I was having a writers block! Anyways, please enjoy! Don't forget to review!_

**True Illusions… Or Fake?**

It was morning, and everyone had gotten up, except for Tsukimori and Kaho. Their hands were still holding, but luckily, Hihara hadn't noticed that.

"Hihara, where is Hino-san and Tsukimori?" Yunoki asked his friend, as he put down a cup of tea. "Oh, wait; did Hino-san come back?" With the questioning of Hino's return, the students waited for Hihara to reply, impatiently.

"Eh? Umm… I don't know… I didn't look at her bed when I got up," Hihara explained. Immediately, he, along with the other students, (except for Amou) rushed into room 4, anxious for Kaho's safety. Yunoki walked, though.

"…"

The 5 of them were glad that Kaho had gotten back safely, but were silent, in shock that the two violinists were holding hands—in their sleep. Fuyuumi was the one to break the silence, followed by Hihara.

"I'm so glad, Kaho-senpai is safe," Fuyuumi said in relief.

"Kaho-chan and Tsukimori…" Hihara said softly. "What is going on?!!"

Hihara's loud voice woke up the sleeping Tsukimori, as he immediately jerked his hand away from the girl's, hoping there wouldn't be any misunderstanding. Realizing everyone was looking at him, he spoke.

"What?" he asked, plainly and icily, as he sat up. "Don't you know that it's rude to disturb people when they're sleeping?"

"Ts-Ts-Ts-Tsukimori! Could it be that you and Kaho-chan in a re-re-relationship!?" Hihara asked anxiously, as he explained to Tsukimori that they all saw the blue-headed boy hold hands with the crimson-haired girl. Tsukimori said that Kaho's hand must've fallen on top of his, when she rolled in relief. Hihara sighed in relief, thinking Tsukimori's lie, was the truth. Then, Kaho's voice was heard.

"Gomen…" she whispered, as a tear came rolling down her cheek like last night. "I can't remember," she said mournfully, "anything…"

Everyone faced the girl who was sleep talking and were silent when they saw the tear roll down. It seemed as if her words were in pain, suffering from something they didn't know.

"Hino…" Tsukimori said as he remembered the girl cry on the night before.

"Kaho-chan…" Hihara was concerned for the unconscious girl who was crying in her sleep.

One by one, the students left the room until Tsukimori, Tsuchiura and Hino were the only ones inside. The two boys gave each other looks that seemed as if they wanted to murder each other, until Tsuchiura spoke.

"What time did she get back here?" he asked, sounding a bit annoyed. Tsuchiura didn't like the fact the blue-headed boy and Kaho were holding hands—in bed; surely not a connected bed, but still, when they were sleeping, their beds only a quarter of a meter apart.

"I don't have an obligation to answer that," Tsukimori replied. "Could you get out, now?"

"What?" Tsuchiura was angry for two things—Tsukimori wasn't replying his answer, and he was even chasing out of the room.

"I have my business."

Tsuchiura, hot and angry, exited the room, not wanting to know Tsukimori's idiotic business. He went to the practice room, to play the piano, where he finally cooled down and get rid of his anger.

Meanwhile, Tsukimori was in the room, looking at the crying figure. He sat beside her sleeping body, as he was about to touch her forehead.

_No! What am I thinking of? _

Tsukimori sighed as he rubbed off the tear on the poor girl's cheek softly, to make sure he wouldn't accidentally wake her up. _Its soft… _Tsukimori patted her head lightly, then, she whispered, at least loud enough for him to hear.

"Arigatou …" Kaho whispered, "… For saving me."

(By the way, she is _still _sleep talking.)

"Hino?" Tsukimori called for the girl he thought was awake, but soon realized, she was still sleeping. She was rolling in bed, muttering words that made no sense to him, sleeping restlessly. Tsukimori sighed, got up, and headed to the bathroom to get cleaned. While he sank into the warm water, (metaphorically, because he was just soaking himself) Tsukimori tried to think of a meaning to the restless girl's words. 'Memory', 'Thank you', 'You're sick', 'Please', 'Help', 'Doctor', 'Competition', 'Violin'.

Tsukimori sighed again as he had gotten himself a headache for trying to think of something that didn't make any sense at all. When he combined these words to get a meaning, there wasn't anything he could think of. 'You're sick,' and 'please help, doctor,' kind of made sense, though. The other words just confused him.

Suddenly, Tsukimori heard the door leading to the bathroom open, as it followed with the sound of the door shutting. It seemed as if someone had just entered to see if anyone was in the bathtub, for no one seemed to be there.

(In some Japanese houses, they have a small room leading to the bath, which is the room to take off your clothes and put it in the waste basket, aka basket of clothes meant for washing)

Then, someone spoke.

"Ano… Tsukimori," a sweet voice called for the boy who was in the bath tub. The voice was nervous—scared.

"Is that you, Hino?" Tsukimori asked for the identity.

"Mm…" the red head replied. _She had to apologize—for intruding on him when he was in the bath, and for last night._ Somehow, her voice was stuck in her throat. _I've got to apologize. The real me, who had memories… I wonder if she'd do this as well…_

"And? What's wrong? It's meddlesome when you barge into the toilet when someone is taking a bath," the blue-headed boy explained, slightly annoyed.

"G-G-Gomennasai! For disturbing you… B-B-But umm… Ano… E-E-Eto…" Kaho looked down to the floor as she walked closer to the door leading to the bath. She turned around and leaned on the door, then sank to sitting position as she looked away, depressed.

Tsukimori made a shocked sound (like 'eh?!' but a little shorter) when he realized the red-haired girl was leaning on the door. "Hino?" The two violinists were silent as they didn't say a word.

"About yesterday…" Kaho broke the silence. She bit her lip as she tried to talk about the painful, yet memorable, night. "Gomen ne." She blushed as she said her next sentence. "For holding you hand…"

"It doesn't matter," Tsukimori answered coolly. "If you have something unimportant to talk about, why not practice than waste your time?" His words were harsh towards the confused girl.

_I'll have to get used to this._

Kaho knew, since she might take some time to regain her memories, she'd have to get used to the way people reacted to her. "Hai." She replied simply. "I understand," she said as she got up and reached for the waste basket.

"Ano… Tsukimori," Kaho called for the boy.

"Hmm?" he grunted.

"I'll be taking your clothes for wash…"

"Nn."

Kaho took the waste basket, and exited the room. She was deep in thought, wondering why Tsukimori was so… _cold_. She looked down on the floor, and noticed a pair of feet there. She raised her head to face the human.

Standing in front of her, was a green-headed boy, looking a bit disoriented. "Kaho-chan? What were you doing in the toilet?"

_Eh? Hihara?! _gulps

"Isn't Tsukimori using the bath?" Hihara asked, confused, and slightly panicked. Hihara tried to look beyond the Gen Ed student but she waved her hands around, trying to block his view.

"Hai! Tsukimori is using the bath," the girl replied, but quickly added before Hihara could protest, "I just came to get the waste basket to give it to Tomita-san."

"Oh," Hihara sighed in relief, "that's what it was." Then his gaze went lower, looking at her clothes. She was still wearing the night gown; pink and silky. (And quite sexy) "K-K-K-Kaho-chan! Your c-clothes!" Hihara exclaimed, as he blushed a bright pink.

"Hmm?" The red-headed girl looked at her attire and gasped. She wrapped her hands around her body and fled to her room. _Hihara saw me in this… I wonder what I'd usually do… Kyaa! _

"Hino?" _Eek!_ The girl sweat-dropped, anxiously. Kaho turned around to face a confused, blue-headed boy standing at the door, wearing a towel on his wet head.

"Tsu-Tsu-Tsu-Tsukimori!" _Ah, crap…_ "Eh, umm…" Kaho looked at him in the eye, nervously. "Ch-Ch-Chotto! Tsukimori, could you leave the room?"

"Why should I?" Tsukimori glared at the girl who was embarrassed. She flushed a bright red, which was as red as her hair.

"Because…" She looked away, her cheeks turning much redder. "I'm in my night gown!!" Tsukimori stared at her in shock. "Ne?! Please!"

Tsukimori fled the room, apologizing "Gomen!" He then went to the practice room, and played his violin. He played a dreamy song—_Ave Maria_. In the sound proof room, nothing could be heard, except for his melody.

Meanwhile, Kaho was bathing in the bath tub, thinking of her future. _Will I remember? If I don't, what will I do? _The girl soaked her mouth in the water, and started blowing bubbles, out of annoyance. She could remember some things—but none of them were really important. She had no goal now. Except for regaining her lost memories.

_Ah, that was embarrassing!_ The crimson-haired girl thought to herself, as she remembered Hihara and Tsukimori looking at her flashy, (not to mention sexy) gown.

"Tsukimori…" The girl whispered his name silently, thinking of his looks. He was _undoubtedly _really handsome, and he was really cool. _He'd probably be better if he would be a bit nicer to other people..._

Kaho gasped as images flashed in her mind with rapid speed, too fast for her to understand what they meant. The last image she saw was a violin, wrapped in her own hands, with Tsukimori beside her. Though she couldn't tell if it were a memory, or maybe just an illusion, her mind killed her. It was squishing her head, making her vision blur and her head spin. She then saw a figure, she couldn't tell what it was, but it was laughing—laughing at her pain. Could it be the cause of the pain? It seemed as if it were about to touch her—feeling her who was in pain.

"NO!" The red-haired girl screamed loudly, as she cried in pain, confused and hurt. "Don't touch me! NOOO!" She started panting for breath, and soon the door to the bathroom opened, followed by four students rushing inside, coming for her aid.

"Kaho-senpai? Kaho-senpai?!" Fuyuumi called for her senpai, who was about to shut her teary eyes.

"Kaho-chan?!"

"Hino-san?!"

"Kahoko?!"

Kaho didn't hear their words. She could only see their mouths move, without a sound coming out of them. _Who…? An illusion? _Her eyes shut slowly, showing an unconscious girl lay in Fuyuumi's arms. _Gomennasai… I made you worry… Again…_

_Good enough? It's the longest chapter so far. Not that interesting though, eh? Thanks to the people who reviewed my story. You've been great help in solving my writers block. I'll be writing again soon! The next chapter may take some time, though. I'm a bit busy. _

_Kaho is a bit OOC, eh? But you can't blame me! She's lost her memory, after all. Bwahahahahahaha! P_


	6. Peaceful Day

_I apologize for going overboard on the previous chapter xP and also for making people wait for this chapter. Hopefully, the next chapter won't take too long. Please don't forget to R&R._

_Enjoy!_

**Peaceful Day**

"Did you hear? Kaho fainted in the bath this morning."

"Eh? Hino did?" Tsukimori and Tsuchiura were shocked at the reporter's words. It wasn't usual for someone to faint in the bath, unless the heat was too strong. Could that have been the cause?

"Yeah," Amou answered. "She was saying something like 'don't touch me' and 'no!'." Fuyuumi then spoke after Amou's explanation.

"Kaho-senpai has been acting strange lately," Fuyuumi spoke shyly. "It's not like her…" The green-haired girl looked down, worried. "Do you think someone was in the toilet?" She was panicked when she said this.

"No, that couldn't be," Amou replied. "He or she couldn't have escaped that fast…" The four of them were puzzled. "Maybe it was an illusion?"

"But… Doesn't it seem weird for her to get worked up over something like that?" Tsuchiura asked.

"You're right," Amou replied.

The blue-headed boy was as puzzled as the other 3. He couldn't comprehend the crimson-haired girl. She had been acting weird ever since the day she fell into the water. None of them had seen her wrapping her hands around her head except for the day at the lake—yesterday. "Hino…"

Tsukimori ignored their conversation and headed to his room, where _she_was sleeping.

"Ch-Chotto! Tsukimori!" Amou called. "Don't leave in the middle of the conversation!" Realizing the violinist was already gone, she sighed. "Jeez!"

Tsukimori silently entered the room, making sure Kaho's sleep wasn't disturbed. Kaho was sleeping silently, her body facing the ceiling, covered by a white blanket. Tsukimori walked up to her, staring at her peaceful face. She seemed peaceful and innocent, sweet and caring. Tsukimori shook his head in disgust.

_What am I thinking about?!_

Then he heard a soft moan, coming from the lump under the bed sheets. Tsukimori walked backwards slowly, away from the sleeping girl's bed.

Kaho appeared to be dazed and disoriented, as she faced the other violinist looking at her who was standing about a meter away from her. Her lips moved slowly, but no sound came out.

"Hino…? You can't speak?" Tsukimori asked her, sounding slightly concerned. Kaho looked at him as she shut her lips and faced downwards. "H-Hino…? Ne, Hino?"

Kaho got out of bed. When she realized she was already in proper clothes, she walked past Tsukimori and stood in front of the door. "I can speak so I'm fine."

"I heard about your incident in the… bath." Tsukimori faced her back, waiting for her to say something. After a few minutes of silence, Tsukimori spoke again. "What happened? Was there someone in the bathroom with you?"

"It's nothing."

Tsukimori grabbed Kaho's hand as she was exiting the room. "Why are you avoiding the situation?" He turned her to face him, shocked to see her crying face. He waited for her to answer—talk. She didn't say a word. Tears dropped down her cheeks as time passed. "Why are you crying?"

Kaho leaned her face against Tsukimori's chest, holding his shirt tightly. "Gomennasai," she whispered quickly before Tsukimori protested, "for yesterday…"

"Hino…" Tsukimori slowly put his hand around her waist. _This is… Hugging…_ The blue-headed boy removed his hands and waited for the girl to stop crying. Soon enough, the Gen Ed student raised her head and moved away from his body.

"G-G-G-Gomen…" Kaho stuttered nervously. "I just…" She looked away and faced the door again. "Gomen…" She exited the room and tried to run.

**Bump.**

"Ouch." Kaho muttered as she fell onto the floor, sitting in front of Tsukimori who was standing behind her. In front of her, was a green-haired boy, who seemed to have fallen on his head. "G-G-Gomen!"

Kaho helped her senpai up and apologized. "Hihara-senpai! Gomennasai…" She bowed politely and started to feel around his head. Kaho was tip-toeing to reach Hihara's head.

(Kaho was tip-toeing so… her chest was a _bit_ closer to Hihara's face)

"K-K-Kaho-chan? What are you doing??" Hihara asked nervously as his cheeks flushed a bright red.

"A-Ah! Gomen… Does your head hurt?" Kaho asked as she removed her hands from his head.

"Eh? Umm… A bit…" Hihara answered softly.

"Gomen!" Kaho apologized again as she grabbed her senpai's hand. "Let's go get some ice for your head."

"Ah, mm."

The two of them fled to the kitchen, leaving a confused violinist standing in the hallway alone. "Hino…" She wasn't answering his questions. _Would she answer if it were someone else answering?_ Tsukimori bit his lip and sighed. He took his violin and left.

Meanwhile, Hihara and Kaho were passing three people who were talking—Amou, Fuyuumi and Tsuchiura.

"Hino!" Tsuchiura looked at the red-haired as she was running towards them along with Hihara.

"Gomen! We're in a rush," Kaho explained as she ran past them along with Hihara, with a grin on her face. Tsuchiura stared at the red-haired girl who was laughing run away along with her senpai.

"K-K-Kaho-chan?" Hihara was confused with his kouhai who seemed to be really happy—hyper. He smiled as he heard her laugh, full with life. She seemed to be okay—cured. Her oddness that morning seemed to be nothing now.

Kaho stopped as she saw the fridge and released Hihara's hand. She grabbed a bag of ice and handed it to him. "Here."

"A-Arigato…" Hihara took the ice and placed on his head. He smiled cheerfully to the crimson-headed girl. Kaho replied the smile with another smile.

It was soon evening. Kaho was in the kitchen along with Fuyuumi and Amou. The three girls were cooking dinner for everyone. Tsukimori was still practicing his violin, Tsuchiura practicing the piano and Keiichi was in his room practicing the cello. Yunoki drank tea with Hihara who was eating cake. Kanazawa was having a nap.

"Hino-san, what should we cook?" Amou asked in an excited voice. "You choose because you're the one who fainted in the bath," she teased. "You need to choose your nutrients properly."

"Eh!?" Kaho shook her head quickly and said, "No, no, I was just…" She raised her finger to her chin and thought of an excuse. "…just... The water was too hot!" She smiled as she realized that it was odd.

"Hmm…" Amou eyed her suspiciously. "Okay, okay, then we'll have Fuyuumi-chan choose."

"Ah, no, umm…"Fuyuumi looked away showing her refusal. Amou sighed deeply.

"After we told Tomita that she didn't have to cook today…" Amou exited the kitchen with Fuyuumi. "I'll go ask Tomita what she'd cook."

**30 minutes later… (7:00pm)**

Kaho sighed after she washed the vegetables and marinated the meat. Fuyuumi and Amou had not returned yet, probably because they couldn't find Tomita in the enormous mansion. _I guess I'll just have to make it before it gets too late._ She smiled because she knew that she was helping everyone else.

Kaho started to mash the boiled potatoes and cook the stakes. A delicious odor could be smelt outside the kitchen. She was pleased with the work she had done and was still doing.

**1 hour later (8:00pm)**

Fuyuumi and Amou entered the empty kitchen. Kaho wasn't inside and neither were the ingredients. "Kaho-senpai?" Then they heard a calling coming from the hallway.

"Everyone! Dinner is ready!"

"Kaho-senpai??" Fuyuumi was confused. She and Amou had been gone for more than an hour to look for Tomita, but dinner was already cooked?

Amou and Fuyuumi had actually looked all around the house for Tomita and found her coming back from the shops after an hour. The two of them went to the dining room, shocked to find a delicious-looking meal served on the table. Steak with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables were on each plate, arranged neatly. The two girls looked at the food in awe.

Soon, everyone had gathered and was shocked to see the food on the table because they knew Tomita hadn't cooked it that night.

"Wow!" Hihara exclaimed as he saw the food on the table. He seated himself in between Kaho and Yunoki. "Who cooked this?"

Kaho kept quiet as she whispered, "Ittadakimasu." Kaho began eating along with everyone else. Hihara started to eat, but was still waiting for an answer.

"Ne, ne, who cooked this?" Hihara asked again. "It's delicious."

"Hino-san," Amou answered as she smiled to the violinist. Kaho flushed a light pink on her cheeks when everyone turned to face her. "Hino-san, this is delicious," she commented.

"Arigato…" Kaho turned to face her food.

"Eh, I didn't know Kaho-chan was this good at cooking!" Hihara exclaimed loudly.

"Umm... Hah…" Kaho finished her food quickly and stood up. "Thank you for the meal," she said as she exited the room. Kaho headed outside with her violin, waiting for Tsukimori. She mentioned to him that they'd play '_Ave Maria'_ together that night.

Soon enough, Tsukimori came with his violin. "Let's play."

The two violinists played the tune under the silver moon, being carefree. After a while, images were shown in Kaho's head, but this time, they weren't flashing. It was smooth—_legato._Her memories of the other night when they both played together returned easily. There was no pain at all. She smiled as she continued to play the violin.

_So, how was it? This chapter isn't so interesting so I apologize. _

_To truly show my apologies, I'll give you a hint for the next chapter!! xD_

_Truth or Dare?_

_Don't forget to review! _


	7. Truth Or Dare?

_This one didn't take too long, eh? I personally like this one.__Anyways, R&R!! Don't forget! You must…_

_Enjoy!_

**Truth or Dare?**

"Tsukimori-kun, arigato." Kaho thanked the blue-headed boy for playing the piece with her. Tsukimori nodded and entered the villa with her. The two of them were greeted with a group of people who were standing at the door.

"Kaho-senpai, that was amazing!" Fuyuumi exclaimed.

"Kaho-chan, Tsukimori, that was a nice tune," Hihara said as he grinned.

"Hino, nice work," Tsuchiura said.

"Now, let's all play Truth or Dare!" Amou said as she dragged Kaho to her room. Tsukimori was forced to follow, considering Kaho's hand was holding his wrist.

**Later…**

Tsukimori sighed as he sat down on the floor of Amou's room. He had been forced to play the 'silly' game because of Amou's selfishness. In fact, almost the entire group was there, except for Kanazawa and Keiichi. Keiichi was already fast asleep while Kanazawa… Well, let's not worry about him and get on with the story.

The bottle was spun swiftly on the table as it started to spin around in circles. It soon slowed down and pointed to Yunoki. The purple-headed boy was still calm as he smiled his 'fake' smile.

"Okay! Now, Truth or Dare, senpai?!" Amou asked loudly as she clapped her hands excitedly.

"Dare, please."

"Who wants to decide? Or shall we discuss it?" Amou asked the group.

Tsukimori didn't say a word. Kaho didn't know what to ask the 'perfect' boy to do. She couldn't remember he had an 'evil' side of him so she thought he was a perfect music student.

"Hai, hai! I want to dare Yunoki-senpai to kiss Kaho on her cheek!" Amou decided, smiling slyly.

"EH!?" The whole room roared except for Yunoki and Tsukimori.

"I wouldn't mind," Yunoki agreed.

"B-B-But Yunoki!" Hihara stuttered uncontrollably as he waved his hands in the air. Yunoki smiled slyly as he reached for the girl's chin. Kaho looked up at her senpai. Their faces were only about 10 centimeters apart from each other.

"YUNOKI!" Hihara shouted his friend's name. "Not her lips!"

Yunoki chuckled softly as he put his lips on Kaho's cheek. Amou immediately took a photo and grinned with delight. Tsukimori was annoyed but he didn't budge. Tsuchiura looked away and Hihara…

Hihara watched them with sadness and bit his lips. Kaho flushed a dark red as she looked away. The kiss was long… _Very_long. Yunoki then removed his lips away from the girl's soft cheek and gave her—only her—a sly smile. His 'evil' smile.

"Arigato senpai!" Amou crowed with delight, "Now, let's spin the bottle again." Her hands spun the bottle with great amount of speed. The bottle spun in circles and started to slow down after a few seconds. It stopped, pointing at Tsuchiura.

Tsuchiura grunted slightly in annoyance, and said, "Truth."

"Then, Tsuchiura is it true you've been dating Hino-san?" Amou asked excitedly.

_I… And Tsuchiura are dating?? … Is it true?_ Kaho looked at the green-haired boy who was annoyed.

"No."

Amou sighed sadly. "Aww, I thought there was something interesting going on between you two." She faced Kaho. "Right, Hino-san?"

Everyone's gaze turned to face Kaho, waiting for her reply. Even Tsuchiura was interested. Hihara looked at her anxiously, hoping for a 'no'. Tsukimori looked at her with his golden eyes. Kaho looked around, stuttering nervously.

"A-A-Ah… Umm…" Kaho stuttered. Noticing Kaho wasn't a good position to speak, Tsuchiura interrupted her stuttering.

"Jeez, let's just get on with the next question," he told them as he spun the bottle with frustration. The bottle twirled in an elegant way, slowed down, and stopped. It was pointing at Hihara who smiled cheerfully.

"Truth."

"Hihara-senpai," Amou called, "do you have a crush on Hino?"

"Eh…? EH!?" Hihara started to stutter as he looked around. His gaze soon drifted to Kaho who looked at him in a confused way. His face flashed red as he looked away from the girl's eyes.

Kaho noticed her senpai had difficulty speaking. _Does he like me? Or is he embarrassed getting a question like this?_ Not wanting her senpai to have difficulty answering while she was there, she stood up and exited the room.

"Ch-Chotto! Hino!" Amou called for the crimson-haired girl who was leaving.

"I'll be right back."

"Jeez…" Amou looked at Hihara again, "And?"

"Mm." Hihara's face was blushing a violent red, as if he was about to explode. "I like her."

"Heh." Amou smiled.

The door opened and Kaho entered and sat down. Everyone looked at her, showing some relief that she had exited the room. She smiled at them. "What?"

"Nothing," all of them replied. Kaho took the bottle and spun it, knowing that he had answered. She didn't hear him, but since everyone was silent, it seemed it was time to spin the bottle. The bottle soon stopped, pointing at Kaho.

"…"

"Ah, umm…" Kaho thought of the situation. _If I choose truth, they may ask me something I can't answer because I don't remember much… _"Dare, onegai."

"Hmm…" Amou looked around the room. "…I've been choosing all the time, so why not if someone else chooses?"

Tsukimori narrowed his eyes on the crimson-haired girl who seemed to be staring at the floor, her eyes thoughtful. She didn't choose truth. He wondered if she wanted to avoid Tsukimori from asking any questions about the night before and her 'incident' in the bath tub.

"No? Then I'll ask her!" Amou decided easily. Kaho gulped uneasily. "Hino-san, come here for a moment." Amou gestured for the girl to come closer. Kaho obediently lent Amou her ear and listened as the orange-headed girl whispered the dare into her ear.

"…"

Everyone in the room stayed silent and waited for the two girls to finish. The silence was broken with Amou's question.

"Can you do that?" she asked Kaho.

"…" Kaho exited the room as she nodded, showing her back to the rest of the group.

"Kaho-chan!" Hihara called. "Amou-san, what did you ask Kaho-chan to do?"

Amou snickered silently. "Nothing!" Her gaze drifted to Fuyuumi. "Fuyuumi-chan, there's a beach nearby here, right?"

"Ah, yeah," Fuyuumi replied. "It's not to far from here."

"Good! Then, everyone, let's go to the beach tomorrow," Amou announced.

Amou managed to convince all of them to come to the beach and continued the game. She spun the bottle, and waited for it to stop. The bottle stopped and pointed at Tsukimori who sighed in deeply, frustrated.

"Tsukimori-kun, truth or dare?" Amou asked.

Tsukimori sighed again. "Dare."

"Then, Tsukimori-kun, I dare you to do whatever I tell you tomorrow," Amou said, suppressing a grin on her face.

Tsukimori was irritated. He knew that she was planning something… He sighed in deeply again. "Hai."

It soon became late and everyone was in their rooms. Kaho had been silent and hadn't said a word ever since Amou had whispered something into her ear. Tsukimori looked at the silent girl seemed to be in a thoughtful mood.

"Hino," Tsukimori called, "what did Amou-san say to you?"

Kaho's shoulders fidgeted upwards as she turned to face the music student. She shook her head and walked towards Hihara. She smiled and pointed at the sofa as she took the pillow from her senpai's hand.

"Ah, Kaho-chan, it's okay!" Hihara objected. "I'll sleep on the sofa so it's okay!"

Kaho's smile became bigger—sweeter yet concern—as she touched his head.

"Ouch!" Hihara rubbed his head, waiting for the pain to subside.

Kaho's smile didn't fade. She held Hihara's cheek with her right hand as she drew her face closer to his.

Hihara's and Tsukimori's eyes widened, surprised at the girl's actions, and wondered what she was about to do. Hihara's heart beat quickly and uncontrollably.

Kaho put a finger from her left hand on Hihara's lips, and closed her eyes, still smiling. She then removed her hands and gently slipped the pillow out of his hands. She put the pillow on the sofa and lay down. She faced the sofa, not showing her face to the other two.

"Ah, then, I wont hesitate and take the bed," Hihara said, heading to the bed.

Tsukimori sighed and stood beside the sofa. "Hino." Kaho's face turned to face him, and looked up to him questioningly. "I'll give you the bed so just got off the sofa." Kaho looked a bit irritated by his words. She stood up and looked at his face.

Kaho breathed in deeply and out. She suppressed a smile and shook her head, showing her refusal.

"Why won't you speak?" Tsukimori asked in an annoyed voice.

"Now, now, Tsukimori, if Kaho-chan wants the sofa, it's okay, ne?"

Kaho turned to face the green-headed boy and smiled at him a thankful smile. Tsukimori faced the girl, seeing her smiling face. It seemed a bit sad though. He looked away and headed to the bed. Kaho grabbed his shirt as she tugged it. Shocked by her actions, he turned to face her.

Kaho's lips moved slowly, but no sound came out. Tsukimori managed to understand the girl's words. 'A-ri-ga-to-u.'

Tsukimori looked at the girl who turned and lay on the sofa again. His eyes drifted to a different place—the window. He looked at the moon, turned and lay on the bed. He shut his eyes and slept.

Soon, everyone fell asleep, sleeping peacefully and easily. It was a peaceful night for Kaho, as she allowed her mind rest, allowing her time for her memories to return wait.

_Chapter 7 over! I'll be going to chapter 8 soon though! xD _

_I'm not giving any hints this time though!_

_Bwahahahahahahahahaha!_

_Review please!_


	8. Singing Princess

_Yay! Chapter 8! xD Please R&R!_

**Singing Princess**

Tsukimori and Hihara got up as they heard a melody coming from outside the room. It was a voice, soft and sweet, singing a song—_Scarlet_ by _Iwao Junko._

(A song played in Ayashi no Ceres)

Outside their room, they could see the group standing outside, as if searching something. All of them were confused with the singing voice. The only people who weren't there were Amou and Kaho. A sound of a piano accompanying the song was also heard. The group headed upstairs and into a room, shocked to see Amou playing the piano and Kaho singing.

Kaho gasped when she realized the group rush in, and stopped singing. Amou stopped playing the piano and removed her hands from it. Kaho covered her mouth, as if she didn't want anyone to hear her sing.

"No way…" she said as she took a step backwards. Kaho's eyes met with a questioning pair—Tsukimori's. Tsukimori couldn't understand why she didn't talk to him last night, yet suddenly started singing in the morning, loud enough for everyone to hear. There was no questioning that her voice was really good. Even Kanazawa was impressed.

"Amou-san…" Kaho looked at the pair of blue eyes which looked back at her.

"Well, its okay, isn't it?" Amou grinned at Kaho. Amou sighed. "I dared Kaho to do this," she explained, "and I play the piano just as a hobby, that's all."

"Kaho-chan, I like your song," Hihara praised her as he smiled happily at the girl who was embarrassed.

Tsukimori examined Kaho when the senpai commented her singing. Her face was expressionless and she was completely motionless. _Hino?_

"I'm done here," Kaho said as she moved towards the group. She shut her eyes and ran past them.

"Ch-chotto! Hino-san!" Amou called after her. Amou sighed frustrated when Kaho didn't reply.

"Kaho-chan!" Hihara called the crimson-haired girl as he ran after her.

_Kahoko… _Yunoki watched the girl run from them. She didn't look back once.

"Kaho-senpai," the two kouhai—Fuyuumi and Shimizu—whispered their senpai's name, in a concerned voice.

The girl was soon out of sight when she turned into the corner of the hallway.

"Ne, Amou, what was wrong with Hino?" Tsuchiura asked the blue-eyed girl who looked a bit frustrated. Amou sighed.

"You see, I dared Hino-san to save her voice last night and sing today," Amou explained, "but she told me that she didn't want anyone to hear her sing."

"Why?" Yunoki asked.

"Embarrassed, maybe." Amou rubbed the back of her head and sighed. "Oh well, Hino-san should be fine," she continued. Amou walked away from the piano, took Fuyuumi's arm, and said, "Let's go," as she left.

Meanwhile, Kaho was still running, and Hihara was almost gaining. She shut her eyes tightly as she continued to run, not stopping.

"Kaho-chan! Ne, Kaho-chan! Matte yo!" Hihara called for the crimson-haired girl, who didn't turn back nor speak a word.

"!" Kaho's sight became blurring as she felt a pain coming from her stomach. She was losing energy—fast. She gasped for air as she still continued to run, not knowing where her destination was.

Hihara stopped, took a long breath in, and positioned himself for running. When he was about to run, he saw his prey drop to the ground, unconscious. He gasped as he saw her fall, and ran towards the motionless body which was lying on the ground.

"Kaho-chan!" Hihara called as he picked up the body. She was breathing, but somehow lost consciousness. "Kaho-chan! What's wrong?!" The violinist's eyes remained shut. "Ne, Kaho-chan!" Hihara bit his lip when he realized she was breathing unsteadily. Immediately, the green-headed boy ran back to the villa to get help.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_I… Where am I? _A pair of golden eyes opened slightly. _I… What am I doing?_ The sight wasn't much. There were only blurred colors. _Why am I here?_

"Kaho-chan!"

"Hino?"

"Hino-san!"

"Kaho-senpai…"

Kaho squeezed her eyes and opened them again, managing to see her friends.

"Jeez, Hino-san!" Amou said in an annoyed voice. "What happened?!"

"I don't know…" Kaho whispered.

"Hino," Tsukimori called.

"Tsukimori…" Kaho turned to look at the other violinist, as so did everyone else. "What is it?"

"Could it be you fainted because you haven't been eating much lately?" Tsukimori narrowed his eyes on her.

"What are you saying?!" Kaho knew what he was talking about. She hadn't eaten much ever since the day at the lake. She didn't have much of an appetite ever since then. "There's no way—"

Tsukimori cut her off. "You refused to eat dinner the night you came back from the lake and even yesterday, you didn't eat breakfast nor lunch."

"Hino-san… Could it be…?" Amou looked at the crimson-haired girl. "… You're dieting?"

Kaho shook her head as she sweat-dropped. "You're wrong! I'm not dieting," she said as she chuckled slightly. "Tsukimori," she said as she faced him again, "I ate last night, right?"

"Only a little bit," he admitted. "But, you should know that even if you're dieting…"

"You're wrong!" Kaho looked at him, irritated.

Tsukimori ignored her and continued, "… You should at least eat your meals."

"I'm telling you that you're wrong!" Kaho said as she got off the bed and walked up to the blue-headed boy.

Kaho's eyes drifted to the ground. "You don't even know anything," she whispered softly, only enough for Tsukimori to hear. She bumped through him and ran out of the room, turning left.

"What's with that? What's with that? What's with that?!" Kaho muttered under her breath as she kept on running.

Tsukimori looked away from the rest of the group and exited the room. _Hino…_ He stood in the hallway alone, for everyone was inside the room. He looked up, and ran in the same direction as Hino.

Kaho gasped for air, running towards the lake, not managing to breathe properly because of her lack of energy. _There has to be… _A tear rolled down Kaho's cheek as she ran. _There has to be… a clue on my memories at the lake._ Kaho shut her eyes tightly as she endured the pain coming from her stomach. _Tsukimori no baka!_

(Baka means idiot)

_I haven't been eating much because I'm busy with my memories! _Kaho stopped to catch some breath. _Jeez! Why did I do something so unreasonable?! _She looked behind to look at the villa and saw a figure walking—jogging—out of the building, looking for her. _Eek! Why?! _Kaho stopped resting and continued running towards the lake. _Jeez! Just let me go to the lake and get a clue __**alone**_

_Ah! Why am I running away?! _Kaho thought as she stopped, beside the lake. _Is it really necessary to run? _The Gen Ed student faced behind, finding nothing there. _Ah. I overran him. Now that I think of it, who was it? _

Kaho sighed as she walked closer to the lake, examining it. It was a sparkling dark blue, with stepping stones on top. _Could I have fell on the stepping stones?? _Kaho raised her foot to step on the stone.

"Hino."

Kaho turned around to face the boy behind her.

"Tsu…"

_Aww… She didn't have enough time! Haha! Anyways, review please!_

_Forgive me for the shortness!_


	9. Childhood Friend

_This one took a while but I hope its okay! Please don't forget to review!_

_Enjoy this chapter! _

**Chilhood Friend**

"Tsu…" Kaho took a step backwards as she held her blue tear drop pendant tightly.

"Hino." The boy took another step towards her. "Why did you run away?"

"Ah, no…" Kaho's gaze turned to the floor. "I… I… About me not eating, was true, so…" The red-haired girl pursed her lips as she squeezed her hands together.

"Even so, it doesn't mean you have to run isn't it, Hino!?" he shouted, feeling frustrated. Kaho gasped in a scared way, hearing his loud voice. "Ah, sorry…"

"Ah, no… What you said is true," Kaho replied, "Tsuchiura-kun." She bowed her head and apologized, "Gomen ne, really." Tsuchiura blushed as she did so; embarrassed by the fact she was apologizing so formally.

"Never mind! Raise your head, jeez!" Tsuchiura said as he rubbed the back of his head. Kaho did as he told her to, raising her head slowly, looking at his face cautiously. Seeing it was puzzled and not angry, she smiled.

"Hino." Kaho's eyes widened as she heard her name being called by another voice. "What do you mean, I don't know anything?" The voice came from behind her, in a small, annoyed voice.

"Tsukimori…" she said as she turned around to face him. "It's nothing," she said as she looked away. "I… I'll go get some flowers, so, Tsuchiura-kun and Tsukimori, go back to the villa, ne?" She suggested as she smiled awkwardly.

"But," Tsuchiura protested.

"It's okay! I'll be back soon," Kaho insured them as she ran towards the flower field.

"Hino…"the two boys said at the same time. They looked at each other after saying the girl's name, and turned their heads to face the opposite sides while saying 'hmph'.

Tsuchiura started walking back to the villa, leaving Tsukimori behind.

"Matte, Tsuchiura," Tsukimori said as he faced the green-headed boy. Tsuchiura didn't turn back to face Tsukimori, but stopped walking to listen. "How did you get here before I did?"

Tsuchiura sighed deeply. "I'm part of the football club. If I wasn't fit, how could I play?" He started walking again, towards Fuyuumi's villa. "I'm not surprised you didn't get here first," he continued. "You don't have time to waste on fitness."

Tsukimori narrowed his eyes on the Gen Ed student, annoyed. His gaze then drifted to the flower field. Tsukimori was shocked to see no crimson-headed girl heading there. In fact, Kaho was no where in sight. Tsukimori looked around, but he couldn't find the other violinist.

Spotting a shed nearby, Tsukimori headed towards it. _Seriously, that girl…_

Meanwhile, Kaho was behind the shed, hiding from the two students. Kaho sighed as she stopped gasping for air.

"Kaho-chan?" A voice called for her, behind her back. The hairs on her back stood up, shocked and scared.

"Hihara-senpai?" she asked, as she spun around. "Ah. Its not."

"Hihara? Who's that? Kaho-chan's new boyfriend?" A brown-headed boy asked her, blinking his really cute, emerald eyes.

_Ah. Cute…_ "Eh? B-B-B-Boyfriend?! I don't have one!" Kaho said, shocked. _Come to think of it… Do I have one?? "_Come to think of it… Who are you?"

"Ah… Kaho-chan you're mean!" he said as he pouted. "After all these years we've been together…"

_Together?! Th…Th…Th…Then… This person is my ex?! EH?! _Kaho said as she curved her hands, waving it around herself, "Together?"

"Eh?! You still don't remember?!" He gave her an annoyed—yet cute—face. "You're mean, Kaho-chan!" He pouted again.

"Ah, gomen… What's your name?" Kaho asked awkwardly.

"Tsuboshi Arashi."

"Then, Tsuboshi-kun, right?" Kaho asked.

Tsuboshi sighed, as he shook his head. "Like I said, we've been together for all these years!" He looked at Kaho in the eye, and said, "Arashi. Call me Arashi. Like you usually do."

"Tsuboshi-kun…" Kaho muttered as she looked at him.

"I said A-ra-shi!" Tsuboshi persisted as he pouted again.

"But…" Kaho said as she faced down.

"Hino."

_EEK! Gulp… Tsukimori… Why?! _

"Tsukimori… Ehehe…" she chuckled nervously as she faced the blue-haired boy behind her.

"Who is this?" Tsukimori asked her as he looked at the guy behind her.

"Ah, this is, Tsuboshi Arashi-kun… He is my ex—"

"—friend," Tsuboshi continued after her. He smiled at the girl innocently, saying, "You remembered."

_EH!? I DON'T REMEMBER!!! _Kaho panicked. _Ah! _Images started flowing into her head, images of a light brown-headed boy. _Tsuboshi…kun? _Kaho gasped as her eyes widened and a sharp pain slammed against her head.

"Kaho-chan? Are you okay?" Tsuboshi asked as she leaned against the shed, eyes tightly shut.

"Ah! I'm fine," she lied as she put a hand on the side of her head. "I'll… Be right back so…" she said in a strained voice as she ran away.

"Ah, Kaho-chan!" Tsuboshi called.

_No… I can't scream… It hurts… _Kaho squeezed her eyes and started to walk groggily, unsure where she was headed. _Ah!_ Kaho then realized she was falling—falling into the lake. _This is it!_

Kaho screamed loudly in the water, unable to stand the pain. Her voice was muffled by the water, so no one could hear her. _Shoot… I can't swim… It hurts too much…_ Kaho thought to herself as she clutched her head with both her hands. Running out of breath, she let go of her last supply of air. Bubbles of air floated to the surface of the lake as she drowned.

Meanwhile, Tsuboshi heard the splash from the lake. _Kaho._ He ran towards the lake, ignoring Tsukimori.

"Oi, Tsuboshi, Hino told us to stay here," he told the boy.

"You know nothing about her!" Tsuboshi yelled. "When Kaho-chan says something like 'she's fine' when she looks like she's in pain, she's lying!" he said as he ran towards the lake. Another splashing sound was heard, which Tsuboshi was diving into the lake.

Tsuboshi's head soon came to surface, along with a semi-conscious girl. He held her by her waist as he swam to land. 'Kaho-chan!' he called many times, but the girl didn't respond.

"Arashi-kun…" Kaho whispered too soft for anyone to hear, the name of the person she remembered. She could see his mouth moving, but heard nothing.

"Kaho-chan! Kaho-chan! Kaho-chan!" Tsuboshi called the girl. Her eyes were slightly opened, but there was no light in it. As if she was dead.

"No way… Kaho-chan!" He started to panic, as he unbuttoned the top of her shirt for her to breathe.

"Hino?" Tsukimori called. He gasped as he saw the motionless body lying on the ground. "Hino!" he said as he ran towards the body.

"I'll go get help," Tsuboshi told Tsukimori as he ran off.

"Hino…" Tsukimori checked if she was breathing by checking for a pulse. "!!" Tsukimori looked at the completely motionless girl, who was going to die. She wasn't breathing at all. "Hino!" he yelled, panicked. "Damn it."

Tsukimori pressed the girl's chest, to make sure her heart would continue breathing. Then, he opened the girl's mouth, and put his on hers. He blew air inside, lifted his head, and checked if she was breathing.

"Cough, cough, cough!" Kaho coughed, choking out the water she had stuck in her throat. She then breathed normally, which made Tsukimori relieved.

"Hino… I'm glad," Tsukimori said as he sighed in relief.

Kaho's eyes were still lifeless. There was absolutely no light at all. Even so, she whispered. "A...ra…shi…kun…"

"Hino?" Tsukimori looked at the girl, who still seemed to be semi-conscious. "It's Tsukimori."

"Who?" she asked, still semi-conscious.

"Hino…" Tsukimori said as he touched her head. "It's Tsukimori." His eyes had a slight bit of affection as he said, "Tsu-ki-mo-ri. Say it."

"Tsukimori…" she copied. Slowly, her eyes opened bigger, as light entered her eyes. "Ah…" She looked up into his eyes, and called his name, "Tsukimori…" She gasped when she realized she was in his arms and his hand on her head. She moved away from him, embarrassed.

"Ah, sorry," Tsukimori apologized.

"It's okay," she replied. "It's nothing to blame you for."

"Kaho-chan!" Tsuboshi called from behind. "I'm glad! You're okay!"

"Arashi-kun…" she said as she saw him coming towards them. "Mm, I'm fine." She smiled sweetly, happy she could remember Tsuboshi completely—her childhood friend as well as her best friend.

"Kaho-chan, you really remembered?!" he asked her happily as the two corners of his mouth rose. "Yatta!" He shouted as he hugged her in delight.

"Ah… Arashi-kun!" she gasped as her cheeks flushed a bright red. "Stop it!"

"Haha, what are you getting all red for?" Tsuboshi asked her while smiling slyly. Tsukimori looked away from the two of them, annoyed.

_Ah. Tsukimori… _Kaho looked sadly at the annoyed violinist, hoping he wouldn't get angry at her. Suddenly a phrase popped into her head.

_Love… Triangle…_

"Ah!" Kaho gasped at the words she heard in her head. Tsuboshi looked at her, confused.

"What's wrong, Kaho?"

"Ah! No! Nothing…" Kaho looked down at the floor, blushing. _What am I thinking!? This is __**not**__ a love triangle. _Then, she noticed something, which saddened her slightly. _It's not like Tsukimori likes me or anything… After all, he is so cold._

"Hino, we're going back." Tsukimori grabbed her wrist and pulled her to her feet.

"Ah, ouch!" Kaho looked up at the annoyed boy, upset that he was annoyed and was so rough. Tsukimori walked away from Kaho's childhood friend, not saying another word.

"Where are you planning on taking Kaho-chan?" Tsuboshi asked him, irritated and angry.

"Back to the villa." Tsukimori didn't look back nor stop but just continued walking back to the villa, bringing Kaho with him.

"Gomen ne, Arashi-kun," Kaho apologized. "Let's meet up here again in two days, ne?"

"Two days?!" Arashi asked, annoyed. "Ne, where is the villa?"

"Ah, umm… Err…" Kaho didn't know how to explain, so she replied differently. "I'll show you in two days time. Bye!" she said as she waved.

"Kaho-chan…"

Walking back to the villa, the two violinists were silent. They didn't look at each other nor speak a word. Tsukimori was still holding the girl's wrist while walking with her back to the villa. On the way back, Tsukimori stopped, and looked at the crimson-headed girl's face.

"Tsuki…mori…?" Kaho looked up, facing the boy. "What's wrong?"

"Hino." Tsukimori looked at her in the eyes, and whispered, "I have something I want to talk to you about."

_Okay, that's the end! Hehehe…_

_Please don't forget to review! I'll be waiting! It gives me confidence… xD_

_Hopefully, the next chapter won't take too long to be uploaded… HOPEFULLY! xP_


	10. Silver Ring

_OMG! My deepest apologies to so many people who have been waiting for this chapter to come out! It's been about two months now, hasn't it!? I'm so sorry! I've been busy relaxing during the holidays that I forgot to continue! I'm so sorry! Anyways, please R&R… Once again, I owe all of you people my deepest apologies!!_

**Silver Ring**

"What…?" Kaho gulped. "…do you want to talk about?"

"That guy… Who was he?" Tsukimori asked as he narrowed his eyes.

"Ah, Arashi-kun?" Kaho said as she smiled. "He's my childhood friend." She was relieved that he wasn't asking about her situation just now.

"And…" Tsukimori continued. Kaho looked away, unsure she wanted to hear his questions. "What's wrong with you these days?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, although she knew exactly what he was talking about. She bit her lip and squeezed his hand, staring at him in the eye. He looked at her, his face showing a shocked expression when she squeezed his hand. "Ne, can we just go back now?" she pleaded. "I promise you," She swore, "I'll tell you what's wrong with me when the time is right." Tsukimori hesitantly nodded. Kaho smiled at him, and ran towards the villa along with the blue-haired boy whose hand was still in her hand.

**At the villa…**

"We're back!" Kaho called out cheerfully as she opened the door and took off her shoes.

"Ah, Kaho-senpai," Fuyuumi greeted happily, "welcome back." Tsukimori walked away from the two and went to his room. He was confused with the crimson-haired girl who seemed to always avoid his questions. Her words had confused him even further.

"Arigatou, Fuyuumi-chan!" Kaho thanked happily.

"Ah, Kaho-senpai, dinner will be ready soon so rest assured!" Kaho nodded excitedly and faced the stairs. Her senpai was there, looking at her from above. The purple-headed boy smiled and gestured for her to come up. The girl obediently followed his orders.

_What's his name again...? _Kaho thought to herself. _Umm… I think it was… Yunoki… And by the looks of it… He must be my senpai… _

"Kahoko," he muttered in her ear. "Meet me at the flower fields later." Kaho looked at him, slightly confused, but didn't disagree.

"Hai, senpai," she said, grinning. Yunoki smiled and went down the stairs.

Kaho headed upwards and muttered Arashi's name while entering her room. Hihara was in the room. He immediately got up and headed towards her when he saw her enter the room.

"Kaho-chan!" he exclaimed. "Are you okay?" he asked, concerned. "You don't have a fever??" he questioned her as he leaned down and placed his forehead on hers.

"Ah—Umm…" Kaho stuttered when Hihara placed his head on hers, causing their faces to be extremely close. She blushed a flashing red on her cheeks, embarrassed.

"You don't have a fever…" Hihara told her. She nodded in response. "Do you have a headache?—or maybe a stomach pain?—or—?" he asked her, panicked, but was cut off.

"Hihara-senpai," Kaho called out loudly. He stopped talking and looked at his kouhai concernedly. He was shocked, when she hugged him. "I'm fine," she said, still embracing him. "Thank you for being worried about me, but I'm fine," she assured him. Hihara's tense shoulders calmed.

"Kaho-chan…" he whispered. Kaho released him and smiled at him innocently.

Kaho's face instantly changed into a grin and she chirped at him cheerfully, "Dinner is almost ready!" She dashed towards her cupboard and grabbed a pair of clothes. "I accidentally fell into the lake," she informed him. "That's why I'm wet," she chuckled. "Maybe you should change too, senpai," she suggested, "because I think I got you a bit wet when I hugged you," she giggled and entered the toilet.

While changing, Kaho muttered to herself. "A friendly hug, eh?" she sighed. "I wonder if I have any feelings for anyone here…?" Kaho chuckled slightly but sighed again. "I hope my memories return soon…"

Soon, dinner was served, and everyone was in the dining room, except for a certain blue-headed boy. Hihara and Tsuchiura were searching for him, while everyone else waited. The two green-haired boys came back to the dining room, informing them they couldn't find Tsukimori. Kaho asked them if they checked the practice rooms and they went silent.

"I'll go look for him there," she volunteered as she left the room. She walked up the stairs and skipped towards practice rooms. She opened the door of the first room, finding no one inside. She moved on to the second one, finding only a violin inside. "Tsukimori?" she called. No reply. She moved on to the third one, and swung the door open and searched the room. "Tsukimori…?"

"What?" a voice replied behind the crimson-haired girl. Her body tensed up, shocked at the fact someone was behind her. She turned around to face the blue-headed boy who glared at her. She sweat-dropped at the sight of him, causing her to smile awkwardly.

"Where were you?" she asked quickly.

"Practice," Tsukimori answered simply.

"Eh…? But when I entered the second room, you weren't there," she complained.

Tsukimori nodded and said, "I went to the restroom for a moment." He looked at her for a moment and began to question her. "Do you want something?"

"Ah! Oh yeah! Dinner is ready!" she said, smiling. "Everyone is waiting for you," she informed him. "Let's go." Tsukimori nodded as he walked towards the dining room and Kaho followed behind him.

"Hino," he called as he stopped on his tracks. Kaho stopped as well, and listened to him. "This may be an odd question, but why'd you stop calling me with a 'kun'?" His eyes drifted to the side when he questioned her.

"…Eh?" Kaho asked, confused.

"You don't have to answer it…" he told her. Kaho then got the message and smiled at him.

"I don't really know why—" she started. Tsukimori stopped stuttering and looked at her. "—but if you don't mind, I'll call your name with a 'kun' again, ne, Tsukimori-kun?" The male violinist grunted and continued walking.

_Oh… I used to call him 'Tsukimori-kun'. Not 'Tsukimori' only… At least I'm learning… I guess… But I think it'd be better if I could remember… _

Kaho sighed as she continued to walk behind Tsukimori, heading towards the dining room. Kaho sat down beside Yunoki where there was a seat empty. She blushed lightly at the memory of Yunoki kissing her on her cheek the other night. Yunoki noticed her blush and chuckled inwardly.

"Now, let's eat!" Amou chirped happily as she started on her food. Hihara devoured his food within seconds and asked for more. The others ate properly.

"Ah!" Amou exclaimed. Everyone faced her. "Tsukimori-kun!" she chirped. "I just remembered but you have to do whatever I ask you to do, today!" Tsukimori sighed but nodded once. "And Fuyuumi-chan!" Fuyuumi's gaze immediately faced Amou and listened attentively. "Since we didn't go to the beach, let's go tomorrow?" she suggested.

"H-hai… Senpai," Fuyuumi replied shyly. "Are you coming too, Kaho-senpai?" she asked as she looked at her favorite senpai.

"Eh…?" Kaho asked confusedly. Then she realized everyone was looking at her, causing her to sweat-drop. "Umm… I don't have anything in particular tomorrow so sure."

"Hai, hai!" Hihara chirped cheerfully as he raised his right hand up and started waving it. "I'm coming too!" he yelled. "Yunoki," he called as his gaze turned to his best friend, "are you going to come too?"

"I wouldn't mind," Yunoki replied politely.

"If it's like that then why don't we go altogether?" Kanazawa suggested. All of them nodded, except for two boys, the pianist and violinist.

"Umm…" Kaho said as she sweat-dropped. "Tsukimori-kun and Tsuchiura-kun…" she called. The two pair of eyes which looked cold faced her and softened. She noticed this and felt less tense. Kaho smiled and asked them, "Do you two want to come too?"

"Sure," they replied together. The two looked at each other annoyed, for they had said the same words together again. The two boys sounded a 'hmph' and looked opposite ways, irritated. Kaho chuckled awkwardly at them.

"Ah." Everyone faced the owner of the voice that just gasped. "I almost fell onto my plate but I woke up before that," Shimizu mumbled sleepily as he rubbed his eyes. Everyone sweat-dropped at the drowsy boy who began eating his untouched food. The maid, Tomita, chuckled at the boy.

"Shimizu-kun… Maybe you should rest after eating," Kaho suggested. The blonde boy faced her and nodded gratefully.

"Arigatou, Kaho-senpai," he mumbled and did something rare—he smiled. His smile made him look like an angel and Kaho noticed that.

_Uwaah… Shimizu-kun looks so innocent and angelic! He looks quite cute… _Kaho thought. When she realized what she had just thought of, she stopped staring at the blonde boy and blushed lightly. She ate her food quickly and excused herself before anyone else had. She took her chance to head to the flower fields before her senpai.

When Kaho got there she sat down beside the flowers and held her violin in her arms. _I wonder why senpai asked me to come here... _The crimson-haired girl sighed in deeply but still waited. Soon enough, her senpai came to her.

"Good evening," Yunoki greeted, "Kahoko." His voice wasn't as pleasant as his 'fake' voice, but still sounded kind for his true self. Unfortunately, Kaho couldn't remember Yunoki's split personalities.

"Yunoki-senpai…" she muttered. "Why did you… Invite me here at night?" Yunoki chuckled and took out his flute and positioned it near his mouth. "You're going to play the flute?" she asked happily.

"Yes," he answered. "Just for you," he said and started to play his flute. Kaho blushed when he said 'just for you' to her. _Maybe we… Privately liked each other…? Yunoki-senpai… and I? I wonder… _

While Yunoki played his song for Kaho, the flowers around them started to bloom and glow. It looked like a magnificent shade of silver surrounding the two. When Yunoki finished his tune, Kaho whispered to him, "The flowers are pretty, ne, Yunoki-senpai?"

"It's not that, isn't it?" he said as he approached her and held her hair. _Eh…? What's not it…? _Kaho thought. Images of the moment with Yunoki flashed in her mind smoothly. She didn't feel any pain at all. Just a short flashback.

**-Flashback-**

"It's not that, isn't it?" Yunoki said to the crimson-headed girl who was sitting down in front of him.

"Azuma—" she paused. "—san." Her head tilted downwards and her face was flushed a violent red.

**-End of Flashback-**

"Azuma—" she paused like last time, but this time, not in embarrassment. It was a hesitation, to make sure that he wouldn't get angry at her. "—senpai," she continued.

"Correct," Yunoki whispered, and answered her question. "They are pretty," he agreed, "but not as cute as you, Kahoko." This made Kaho blush as he lowered his face and got closer to Kaho.

"Yu-Yuno—" she was cut of by Yunoki who whispered into her ear 'Yunoki…?'. "A-Azuma-senpai," she corrected herself. She heard another whisper, followed by a kiss on her cheek by her senpai.

'_Correct.'_

The winds blew from both sides, causing the petals from the silver flowers to fly around the two and into the air. It looked like the petals were curling around the two of them. From afar, it appeared to be a couple in a silver ring—but these two weren't a couple.

Kaho was blushing violently until it was too noticeable. Even a half-blind person would be able to notice it. Yunoki chuckled and removed his lips from her cheek, saying 'thanks' for making the last competition enjoyable. He offered her hand as a gentleman to take her back to the villa. Kaho took it and held on to him, still blushing.

"Thank you," Kaho whispered, too soft for anyone to hear, "for helping me get a part of my memories back… Even if it was only a bit." Her face soon cooled down, and she smiled sweetly. The two of them headed back to the villa together in silence, but instead of it being awkward, the night seemed to be pleasant anyhow…

_Okay… I know… Even though it's been ages… I didn't do much. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'm truly sorry! Btw, all you LenxKaho fans, please don't kill me for making this more YunokixKaho in this chappie… I haven't decided the pair at the ending yet, but I'm going to make scenes for the guys to make it fair xP Including Hihara and Tsuchiura._

_If I'm not mistaken… Tsuboshi will come out in the next chappie too xP. Get ready to get jealous, Kaho lovers! xD Hahas, anyways, please review. After lazing around during the holidays, I reread my reviews and felt much more motivated. I need motivation! Hopefully, the next chapter won't take as long as it has this time. I'll do my best to update soon. Thx for your supports. Don't forget!! REVIEWS!!! xDxDxD _ierHe


	11. Safe

_Eh… Sorry for not updating for… Like… Ages. I finally got the time to write this since my exams are all over for now, and well, I decided it was better late than never. xD Some of you probably want to kill me now and perhaps a lot of people don't want to bother reading this fanfic anymore. Well, that can't be helped since it is my own fault. Hope you like this chappie tho. Made it super longer than the rest as an apology. xD_

**Safe**

Sunlight crept through a gap between silky, azure curtains into a room where two figures were sleeping under the sheets of their own beds. However, one bed, which belonged to a trumpeter, was empty. It wasn't because he hadn't gone to sleep, of course. It was because this trumpeter was always filled with life and had gone for a walk to get some fresh air during the early dawn, and so, only two people remain asleep in the room—two violinists, a guy and a girl. The smaller figure shifted slightly in her sleep and rolled sideways to edge of her bed, causing her to—

BAM!

The loud sound caused the blue-headed boy to awake from his slumber and jerk up from his bed abruptly. The scene he saw made his eyes widen and his heart race quickly. "Hino?" The crimson-haired girl was on the ground, her body facing the ceiling, her eyes squeezed tightly shut.

"Ouch!!" she whimpered as she rubbed the back of her head and sat up from the ground. "Ah… I fell…" she said, finally realizing what position she was in and why her head had hurt—and it definitely wasn't because of the headaches.

A slight chuckle was heard from the male violinist while he held out his hand towards her and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Ah… H-Hai…" Kaho replied, gently holding his hand for support and got up from the ground. "Thanks." The crimson-haired girl released her weight on her bed, allowing her delicate body to fall on top of it, and sat down with a little 'bump'. She sighed, and continued rubbing the back of her head.

"…Are you sure?" the blue-headed boy asked.

"Mm… Yeah…" she replied and sighed. Kaho walked towards the cupboard and grabbed her swimsuit—the white bikini—along with a pair of shorts and a shirt. "I'm going to get ready," she informed Tsukimori and entered the bathroom.

Kaho allowed the water to run into the bath tub as she undressed. She placed her pajamas into a basket which would be taken by Tomita—the caretaker of the villa—and washed by her too. Then, she turned back to the bath tub which was finally filled with water and entered it. The water was warm and soothing, which allowed her to relax peacefully. She loved the bath. It always allowed her to have time to herself and think about many things—like her lost memories.

The crimson-headed girl sighed. When would she finally remember everything? She had, in fact, remembered all about her childhood friend, Tsuboshi Arashi, which made her, feel pleased. She still couldn't believe she could possibly forget about him but the fact she had forgotten was reality. Other than that, she had also remembered small things such as the time she played Ave Maria with the other violinist and also the part where Yunoki had told her to call her 'Azuma'. She still couldn't remember why, but for all she knew, they could be secretly in love with each other. Being unable to remember frustrated her greatly. Yunoki…

Kaho gasped and her cheeks started to heat up, becoming redder by the second. Yunoki. Memories of last night flowed through her head, making her feel extremely embarrassed at the fact he had kissed her. He had kissed her twice, as far as she could remember. The first time was when they had played Truth or Dare; the second time was last night. During the game, Yunoki had been unhesitant kissing her. Could it really be that she and her senpai—?

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Hino?" a voice called from behind the door. The female violinist jerked her head upwards from the water, the blush from her cheeks fading.

"Ah… H-Hai?" she replied. _Tsukimori-kun?_

"We're going to eat breakfast soon, just to inform you," he informed. The red-haired girl smiled.

"Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes," she replied. "Thanks, for going through all the trouble of telling me this."

"It's nothing," he muttered, "if it's for you, who opened up my world of music, then I…"

"Hmm?" Kaho mumbled. She couldn't hear what he was saying, since he was too soft and the door was closed.

"Ah, it's nothing," he replied quickly. "Anyways, I'll be going downstairs now." His footsteps were heard and soon faded after the bedroom door closed.

"Tsukimori-kun…" the female violinist mumbled. She sighed once more, stood up and got out of the water. She quickly dried herself using a dark blue towel and put on her swimsuit. She slipped on her shorts and shirt over the white bikini and looked at herself in the mirror. Satisfied with herself, she exited the room and proceeded to the dining hall.

When Kaho got there, the only seat that was left was the one in between Tsukimori and Yunoki. Seeing her upperclassmen there, she was hesitant in sitting next to him. However, it was the only seat and she had no other choice but to sit there. She could ask to trade seats, but being the kind soul she was, she didn't want to trouble anyone. Slowly, she walked towards the empty seat and sat down hesitantly. The flutist turned to look at her and smiled his 'fake', charming smile. "Good morning, Hino-san," he greeted.

_Hi-Hino? H-How come he's not calling me Ka-Kahoko like last night…? The_ crimson-haired girl nodded in reply and said, "G-Good morning, Yu-Yunoki-senpai." Silence engulfed the two, and being next to the girl, Tsukimori noticed the awkwardness between them.

"Kaho-chan," Hihara spoke, breaking the silence between them. "Are you coming to beach with us too?" Kaho looked up at him and gave a thoughtful face.

"Umm… I guess I'll come," she replied. "Ah, but I'll be coming a little later."

"Eh? Why?" questioned the trumpeter. "Wouldn't it be better if we all went at the same time?"

"Mhmm, it would," she agreed, "but I've got to do a bit of things, and, well, the beach is quite close by so it should be okay."

"Hmm…" Hihara mumbled while stuffing food into his mouth. "What do you have to do?"

"Oh, umm… A secret," she said cheerfully and winked.

"Ehh… No fair, Kaho-chan!" Hihara protested. The crimson-haired girl laughed at his childishness. Beside her, the flutist's eyes narrowed. However, he had been carefully subtle and no one had noticed.

"Hino-san," the flutist called, "I'll accompany you to the beach if you're going to do something here. I've got to practice my flute for a moment anyways."

Hearing his voice, her shoulders tensed and her heartbeat became louder and faster. "I-It's okay," she stuttered. "I-I'm actually go-going out f-for a moment."

"Are you sure?" he asked, his voice turning slightly dark, and his hand grabbing hers from under the table. He held her hand gently and rubbed it lightly. Only the female violinist realised that his voice became darker. Her cheeks turned slightly red after he held her hand.

"I-I'm sure," she assured him.

**After Breakfast…**

Kaho walked towards the lake alone while humming a tune to herself—Liszt's La Campanella. She was going to meet her childhood friend, Tsuboshi Arashi, once more, for she had promised him to meet him on this day. She had forgotten to tell him what time, and therefore, she might be waiting for him.

When she got there, what she saw shocked her. Tsuboshi was already there, sitting on the grass beside the lake, waiting. He seemed to be staring at the lake attentively and calmly. Kaho ran towards him cheerfully and sat down beside him. "Sorry! Did you wait long?"

Tsuboshi looked at her, his emerald-green eyes sparkling with excitement. "Kaho-chan!" he exclaimed and hugged her tightly. He released her and looked at her once again. "I can't say I didn't wait long," he said, pouting slightly. He was so cute!!!

"G-Gomen, Arashi-kun," she apologized. "I didn't say what time to get here… H-How long were you waiting for?" she asked.

The brown-haired boy gave her a thoughtful face. "Hmm… Maybe about… 2 hours?"

"T-Two hours?!" Kaho gasped. "Oh my gosh, why didn't you just go home?!" Kaho asked.

"I didn't want to miss a chance to see you," he said, smiling. "I'm glad I stayed, though. You finally came." His smile seemed to melt her guiltiness away.

"I-I'm so sorry…" she apologized once more.

"It's fine," he said and winked at her. "You're here, aren't you? That's all that matters now."

Kaho found herself blushing at his words. "I guess so…"

"Anyways, are you staying for long?" he asked her.

Kaho looked up. "Umm… Sorry… Actually, I've got to go to the beach nearby… My friends are waiting for me…"

"Oh…" Tsuboshi sighed. The brown-haired boy looked slightly hurt by the fact she hadn't much time for him. Seeing him like that, Kaho couldn't help but say something.

"W-Why don't you come along with me?" the crimson-haired girl invited.

The boy's green eyes lit up once again. "Can I?" he asked excitedly.

"Sure!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun was searing overhead. The cries of the seagulls were heard from each and every direction and the sounds of the waves were heard too. People were talking and laughing on the white, sandy beach—some playing volleyball, some sunbathing. Even then, it was really quiet for this part of the beach was private. In a distance, a lighthouse stood tall on the edge of the beach.

Then, the female violinist arrived. However, as everyone had noticed, she wasn't alone. Beside her, stood a tall, lean figure that had hazel brown hair and mesmerizing emerald-green eyes. He wore a white button-up shirt which had a collar and beige shorts which had pockets on each side. He wore a silver-coloured watch on his right hand and his other hand was gripping Kaho's hand gently while he smiled at her cheerfully. Kaho did the same.

Amou looked at the handsome figure expectantly while Fuyuumi blushed lightly. As for the boys; they narrowed their eyes at the brown-headed boy who seemed unexpectedly close with Kaho. Although, Shimizu slept and Tsukimori just looked back into his music score which he held in his hand.

The first one to make a move was Hihara. "Kaho-chan!" he called excitedly as he ran towards her. "You finally came," he exclaimed, grinning widely and held her hands.

"Ah, yeah," the crimson-haired girl replied, blushing slightly because of her senpai's hands on hers. "T-This is my friend—"

"Tsuboshi Arashi," the brown-headed boy introduced. "Nice to meet you!" he said enthusiastically.

"Ah! I'm Hihara Kazuki," the trumpeter introduced. "N-Nice to meet you!"

"Umm… I guess I'd better introduce you to everyone," Kaho insisted.

"Arigatou, Kaho-chan," he said to her, his eyes softening.

After the introductions—and after Amou finished squealing and asking a hundred and one questions about him—they sat down to eat lunch on a picnic table on the beach. They had brought loads of goods to eat and drink—pizza, fried chicken, chips, pasta, sandwiches, salad, a few bentous (packed lunch with rice and other side dishes in a Japanese styled container), fruit juice, Milo, water and soft drinks.

Kaho sat in between Tsuboshi and Tsuchiura and started eating a slice of pizza and she hadn't realised it, but some of the tomato sauce had smeared onto her lips. Tsuboshi noticed this and used one of his fingers to swipe it off her lips. "This won't do, Kaho-chan," he laughed, "You're eating messily even though you're this old already." Tsuboshi put his finger into his mouth and licked the sauce off.

Kaho blushed. "Jeez! It's an accident, Arashi-kun!" she protested. Tsuboshi just continued laughing.

"I-I-Indirect kiss?!" Hihara blurted out unintentionally. Tsuchiura eyed the senpai. The trumpeter was not one to talk, considering he had drank Kaho's green tea last time, and that counted as an indirect kiss. In fact, he had almost kissed her that night since he almost fell onto her lips—literally. Hihara sweat-dropped at himself. "S-Sorry, forget what I said."

"No, it's okay," Tsuboshi said. "If anything, we can have a direct kiss, ne, Kaho-chan?" he said as he leaned in towards her, smirking. Amou started squealing.

Hihara, Tsukimori and Tsuchiura protested at the same time. "_Sto_—"

"Tsuboshi-san," a voice spoke darkly, having an edge of subtle anger, making Tsuboshi stop abruptly and shiver. "I'd rather prefer it if you didn't do that while we are dining."

Everyone turned their heads towards the voice—Yunoki. The flutist's dark voice triggered a memory in the female violinist's mind. As images flowed into her mind, she felt a sharp pain slam into her head. She clenched her fists and brought them to her head, clutching it, and squeezed her eyes tightly shut. "Kaho-chan?" she heard Tsuboshi call out. His voice sounded anxious and concerned. Not wanting to worry them all, she shook her head slowly.

"It's just a slight headache," she lied, trying to conceal the pain that was violently hitting her. Tsuboshi looked at her anxiously.

"Maybe it's the sun," he spoke. "I'd better take Kaho-chan under the shade," he said as he gestured for the crimson-haired girl to follow him. She obediently obliged and followed him under the trees, a little farther where the group could not see them.

Tsuboshi allowed the girl to sit leaning on a strong tree while he crouched down beside her and looked at her anxiously. Kaho leaned on the tree, clutching her head tightly, still trying to get rid of the pain. "Kaho-chan…" Tsuboshi mumbled with concern as he wrapped his arms around her carefully. "What's wrong, honestly?"

"My h-head hurts," she mumbled, unmoving. Tsuboshi curled around her and sat down, making her sit on his lap as she leaned against his chest. He nuzzled her head softly and caressed her hair softly, trying to calm her down. It worked—her head stopped pounding and the pain subsided. She sighed and shut her eyes calmly as Tsuboshi hugged her in his arms gently and relaxed. They sat together, unmoving, yet so calm and peaceful. Only instead of being with everyone else, Kaho was here with someone she truly remembered and knew. She felt safe for once ever since she had gotten up from that lake.

_End of this chapter!! xD.. Hope you liked it. Will be updating soon, hopefully. Once again, I apologise. PLEASE review. I really love reviews since they give me both motivation as well as your opinions. xD … Go click on the button! GO! XD_


	12. Revealed

_Hmm… Well, it __**has**__ been a while, eh? xP … Sorry bout that. Although, you've got to admit its not as long as before… xD Ahah, I've gotten quite a few comments for that chappie (thankyou sooo much) which was actually unexpected considering the fact I hadn't updated for more than half a year. I thought most people would get angry and just ignore the story. xP … Thanks for all the people who have continued supporting me and to the new people who have started supporting me. xD. I hope you'll all continue reading this fanfic till the end and well, I also hope that you'll LOVE THIS CHAPPIE. xD_

**Revealed**

Two figures which sat under a big, strong tree, one supporting the other while nuzzling his head into her hair, while the other was resting peacefully in his arms, her head leaning on his chest. The crimson-haired girl shot her eyes open, realising what she was doing. Quickly, she scrambled out from his arms and sat in front of him, her back still facing him. "G-Gomen, Arashi-kun," she breathed, panicked. "I shouldn't have given you the trouble of doing this and—"

Kaho's words were cut off as she was gently pulled back into Arashi's arms. He placed his chin on her shoulder slowly and whispered into her ear, "If it's for Kaho-chan's sake, it's no trouble at all." Kaho's heart started beating faster, thumping loudly. She could feel Arashi's warm breath on her skin, making her blush a violent red which was almost as dark as her hair colour. The hazel-haired boy nuzzled her head again, inhaling her scent softly as he chuckled. "You smell nice—floral, somehow," he teased.

The crimson-haired girl laughed. "It's the smell of my shampoo, stupid."

"You don't say," he said sarcastically. "I didn't really expect you to radiate a floral smell by yourself, you know?"

Kaho glared at him, her blush fading instantly. "Well, for all you know I could've gone to a field of flowers or something."

Arashi stared at her for a moment, checking if she was serious. Realising that she was, he burst out laughing, disbelieving her stupid excuse. "There's no way that would be the reason," he laughed.

The female violinist frowned angrily. "It's not funny."

The hazel haired boy grinned and squeezed her softly. "Is too."

"Is not!" she protested, turning to face him, breaking his grasp on her.

"Yeah, yeah, sure," he said, winking. Pulling her back into his arms, he picked her up and carried her bridal style, causing her to squeal softly in shock. Her blush crept back onto her cheeks, flaring up immediately.

Kaho started wriggling, trying to get out of his arms. "L-L-Let me go!" she stuttered embarrassedly.

"I don't want to!" he laughed childishly as he started walking to a different direction from which everyone else was at.

"H-Hey! Where are you going!?" Kaho asked, still wriggling.

Arashi paused for a moment but continued walking. "I wonder if they'll get angry if I steal you," he chuckled with amusement.

"W-What?" Kaho asked.

"Nah, just joking," he said, winking at her. "I'm just going to show you something for a moment—won't take long." As he walked, Kaho stayed still and allowed him to carry her as she rested her head on his chest. She listened to his heartbeat thump softly at a normal pace, unchanging, as she slowly shut her eyes with peace.

Finally, Arashi spoke, breaking the silence. "Ah, found it." Kaho opened her eyes and looked up with a jolt to see what her friend was talking about. She realised that they were still in the forest but there was a bench at the side of the trail with a black case that looked like it was meant for a violin, yet somehow much bigger, on it. The boy sat down on the bench, slowly placing her beside him. He grabbed the case and unzipped it, revealing a brown-coloured classical guitar.

"You play the guitar?" she blurted out unintentionally.

The hazel-haired boy rubbed it softly and strummed it once in a G major chord. "Yeah," he replied cheerfully.

"It looks really nicely made," Kaho blurted out again. She mentally scolded herself for being unable of controlling herself.

"Mhmm," he murmured, "it's made of teak wood." He looked up at her, his gaze finally tearing away from the instrument. His emerald eyes sparkled with excitement. "Want to hear a song?"

"Sure," Kaho replied, eager to listen.

"Okay, Always Be My Baby, David Cook version," he said, winking at her. Arashi's fingers strummed the guitar with ease as if there was nothing to it as he continued looking at the female violinist. "We were as one babe," he sang as he continued strumming, "for a moment in time…"

Kaho listened, her entire body relaxing, her mind mesmerized by his music. "And it seemed everlasting," he continued singing, "that you would always be mine…" Arashi's eyes grew softer as the seconds ticked by, his voice becoming sweeter and mellower. "Now you want to be free… So I'm letting you fly," he sang. "'Cause I know in my heart babe, our love, will never die, no…"

Arashi gestured for her to sing, encouraging as he sang louder. "You'll always be a part of me," Kaho sang softly, unsure, while Arashi smiled at her, still strumming. "I'm a part of you indefinitely… Boy, don't you know you can't escape me…" She looked up at him and smiled softly. "Ooh darling, 'cause you'll always be my baby…"

The two of them continued singing till the end of the song. After they finished, they started laughing and smiled at each other. "That was fun," Kaho laughed. "You're pretty good at the guitar," she complimented, smiling sweetly.

"Haha, thanks, Kaho-chan," he said, grinning. Slowly, he put back the guitar back into its case gently, making sure he didn't damage it. He zipped it up and placed it on the side of the bench as he scooted closer to Kaho. "Hey… Kaho-chan?" he called out, his voice soft, his eyes serious.

"Yeah?" the crimson-haired girl replied, not realising his abrupt change.

"Honestly, what is wrong with you these days?" he asked, his eyes showing anxiety. Kaho's eyes widened, fully realising what he was talking about.

"Wh-What do you mean?" she asked, looking away from his eyes.

He held her hands and squeezed them gently. "All these headaches aren't normal, Kaho-chan," he said, "I may not be a medical genius but this much, I know." He pursed his lips and sighed. "Also the fact you keep lying about it…"

Kaho gulped. "It's nothing," she insisted. "I haven't been eating properly lately." She continued avoiding his eyes, not daring to look into them because she was afraid she would give in.

Arashi frowned. He lifted his hands from her hands to her face, cupping it and made it face his. "Kaho-chan," he murmured, "please don't lie to me." His eyes were filled with anxiety as well as pain from being lied to by her. The crimson-haired girl couldn't take it anymore. Her lips trembled and her eyes started to fill with water. She tried her best to conceal it by biting her tongue and squeezing her hands but her traitor tears rolled down her cheeks, making it visible that she was upset about something.

"It's nothing," she repeated, shaking her head, trying to look down, but failed because of Arashi's strong grip. Her tears continued rolling down quickly while her lips trembled even more. The guitarist gently pulled Kaho towards his chest and wrapped his arms around her.

"Oh," he whispered, "what on earth is making you so depressed like this, Kaho-chan?" He shut his eyes and placed his lips to the top of her head. Arashi's voice was filled with anxiety for the female violinist who was in his arms. "It's alright."

Kaho couldn't hold it in. She cried, her tears never ending, her cries soft yet clearly filled with pain. She held his shirt by squeezing it softly as she cried. Arashi didn't let go of her, allowing her to release all the pain she was holding in. It was good that only the both of them were there, though. If anyone else had followed, they would probably get either really jealous or really anxious for the crimson-haired violinist. Indeed, it _was_ good they were alone with no one looking at them—as far as they knew.

Without either of their knowledge, there was a blue-headed figure that was leaning behind a tree, not visible to any one of them. His eyes were shut, his lips pursed. Then, his eyes opened slowly, filled with a sudden seriousness, and he walked away quietly. He hadn't stalked them, of course. In fact, he went to look for the crimson-haired girl since she had been gone for a while and also considering she seemed to be in pain like before, with the headaches. When he found them, he was thinking of going up to them, however, Kaho suddenly had tears rolling down her cheeks, and despite the fact he wanted to comfort her, he knew that it wasn't a moment for him to suddenly pop in. As he walked, he clenched his fists tightly for a moment and unclenched them soon after. He sighed and continued heading towards the beach once more.

Back at the bench, Kaho had finally stopped crying. However, they both didn't move. Arashi was still hugging her, his lips still on her head. Then, she spoke, breaking the still silence. "Umm… Arashi-kun?"

"Hmm?" he replied.

"Y-You can l-let go of me now," she stuttered. The hazel-haired boy jerked away from her quickly, releasing his arms.

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "Sorry 'bout that." He smiled at her apologetically.

"Ah, it's okay," she insisted. Kaho paused. "And, thank you," she added, smiling at him.

"No problem," Arashi said, grinning. The two of them sat back properly and looked at the ground while listening to the creatures in the forest. The birds tweeting, the crickets chirping and so much more. Kaho faced upwards and shut her eyes, allowing the sunlight which crept in between the leaves of trees warm her face.

"Kaho-chan." The simple call broke her from her trance of the forest, bringing her back to reality. She turned her face to the boy who was sitting next to her, shocked to see that he was facing her, his eyes serious once more/

The crimson-haired girl put her hands together and started flexing her fingers. "Yes?"

"Tell me," was all he said. Instantly, Kaho knew what he was talking about. He wanted to know what as truly wrong with her, if she was sick or there was something bad going on. Kaho looked at him, studying him carefully. After realising he wouldn't take no as an answer, she sighed.

Kaho hesitated, looking away from his eyes and biting her lips. Finally, she spoke. "I don't remember," she mumbled uneasily. Arashi frowned.

"You don't remember what's wrong with you?" he asked, puzzled. He appeared to be irritated because he was unable to understand her.

Kaho shook her head. "No," she said hesitantly again, "I don't remember anything." Slowly, she turned her gaze to him, observing his reaction. His face said everything—he was confused.

"Kaho-chan," he said slowly, "if you don't remember anything… Then how would you even know me?" Arashi pursed his lips and sighed. "Are you trying to make another excuse?"

"No!" she protested quickly. "I _do_ remember you," she insisted, "but I don't remember anyone else or anything." Arashi stared at her blankly. Kaho sighed. "Forget it," she said, "it's nothing."

"No, no, go on," the guitarist insisted. "I want to know what's wrong, Kaho-chan," he said, his voice filled with emotion. "I want to be able to help you."

"I think I hit my head back at the lake when I first came here," Kaho said softly. "And I woke up not knowing anything—my friends, their names, nor what we were even doing here." The crimson-haired girl shut her eyes and squeezed her hands together, remembering the scene. "All I remembered was my violin. But when I saw all my friends concerned about me, I knew I couldn't tell them. I also felt afraid they would leave me since I don't remember anything nor do I even know what the _real_ me like."

"Kaho-chan," Arashi interrupted, "they won't leave you—"

The female violinist placed a finger on his lips, making him keep quiet. "You don't know that," she said darkly, a sharp pain on the edge of her voice.

"They won't," the guitarist said sharply. He sounded so sure and his eyes definitely showed seriousness. Kaho flinched. Arashi's eyes softened and he extended his hand to hers. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "Don't be afraid."

Kaho laughed lightly. "Scared?" she scoffed. "Of _you_?" Arashi smiled.

"I _can_ be intimidating," he laughed playfully.

"Sure," the violinist said sarcastically. "Anyways, will you allow me to continue?"

"Please do," the guitarist said curtly.

Kaho took in a deep breath. "My head hurts a lot when I start remembering things. Like, when I finally remembered you, I was in so much pain. However, I'm glad I was able to." The violinist gave him a brief smile and continued. "But I don't really fully remember everyone even though I really want to. And I don't want to hurt their feelings by telling them I don't remember them. That's why I'm trying my best to remember things even though it hurts me. And sometimes words or voices trigger something in my mind, which causes me to get headaches. That's what I mean. I don't remember anything."

_Ooh! Cliffhanger! xO Well, Arashi knows now! The secret is revealed! xO Anyways, this is my Christmas gift to all of you! I hope you'll do the same of giving me a Christmas gift by reviewing! Thanks, and a happy Christmas to all of you! xD_


	13. Accepted

_Hello!! __**Happy New Year**__! xD Although it's one or two days late, (depending on your location) I managed to brew a new chappie quickly. xO Well, I didn't get as many reviews, sadly. Dx However, I thank all of you who read my latest chappie. xD Well, now, I gladly present to you… Chapter 13! I can't believe I've gotten this far. In any case, I must admit that my first few chapters weren't that great, and maybe that's why I don't get as many reviews as a few fanfics. Not that it's a competition or anything, but I love reviews—I really do. xD Anyways, enjoy this chapter. This is my new year's gift to all of you. xD_

_Oh! Special thanks to people who have reviewed chapter 12! _

_**Emjhey**_

_**Secretgirl1342**_

_**Chris3169512**_

_**Pop-virgo97**_

_**Kaho14belle**_

_Since I didn't give a review reply to these two, I shall give it to them here. xD _

_**Wings of Fedelity**__- haha, umm, well, I haven't really watched Code Geass to be honest but I do know who you're talking about. My imagination of Arashi isn't exactly of him, though. xP … But well, I have an imagination that Arashi is really playful yet at the same time really nice. xD Happy new year to you too. _

_**Luna Rei Harmony- **__haha, sorry 'bout that. xP And nooo, of course I don't hate you guys. I love all of you who review and read this story. xD Thanks for reviewing. _

_OKAY. Starting now._

**Accepted**

From what the violinist could see, the hazel-haired boy in front of her had frozen, not moving in any action that was normal. It wasn't even easy to spot him breathing. She pursed her lips, hoping that _he_ out of all people wouldn't leave her because of that. If he did, she didn't think she would be able to handle the situation. She squeezed her hands and waited in anticipation for his reaction—this was definitely part of it, though.

Then, Arashi started making normal movements as if he had awoken from a trance. He started blinking, his breathing able to be seen, his body moving, and his throat had a gulp. "You forgot everything," were the words that came out of his mouth. It wasn't a question, though.

"Yes," Kaho said softly, it was merely a whisper as her gaze dropped to the ground. She said no more—she felt all too anxious to know what he was thinking; whether he was still going to stay by her side or not. As if the atmosphere wasn't tense enough; the silence worsened it. Kaho, unable to take the tenseness, squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip. What happened next was really unexpected to her as she was pulled into the guitarist's big, warm arms and was squeezed gently. He shut his eyes and placed his cheek on top of her head, laying it softly.

"Oh, Kaho-chan," he murmured, "it's alright." Arashi slowly lifted one hand to her head and stroked her hair softly, running his fingers through the strands of her smooth, red hair. "They won't leave you."

"Will you?" she asked, her voice hoarse as tears flowed down her face uncontrollably.

Arashi's eyes widened with surprise, not expecting a question like that to come from her, and also at the fact she was crying. However, he quickly regained his composure and slowly closed his eyes again. "Of course not," he whispered. "I would never leave you."

Kaho sniffed and held the guitarist's shirt softly. "Promise?"

Arashi chuckled lightly. The violinist was starting to sound like a kid—not that he minded. Giving her a tighter squeeze, he whispered, "I promise." The crimson-haired girl nuzzled her head into his chest as the guitarist hugged her closer towards him. Kaho's tears stopped flowing and her cries faded. The both of them stayed still in that position for a time that felt like it could never end. Finally, Arashi murmured into her ear, "Kaho-chan."

The crimson-haired girl gasped as her eyes widened and she withdrew herself from his arms. Her face was deep red in colour which quickly turned pale white as her both her hands rose to the sides of her face, curled. She looked like she had been snapped to reality or as if she had realised something that shocked her and terrified her tremendously. "Oh god," she whispered, her voice in an octave higher than usual and sounding like it had cracked. "Oh no." Kaho's eyes were still wide with terror. "No, no, no, no, no," she repeated over and over again. The boy beside her was also wide-eyed with terror. He felt anxious at the girl's sudden reaction and had no idea what caused it. "I can't do this!"

"Kaho-chan?" Arashi called anxiously. "What's wrong?" he asked as he placed both of his arms on each side of her shoulders. "N-Ne?"

"I can't do this to you, Arashi-kun," she whispered. Then everything froze.

Arashi's face was blank. "Eh?" A few seconds ticked by before the guitarist started bursting out laughing. "Oh, god, don't scare me like that Kaho-chan!"

"S-Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," she stuttered, shocked by his suddenly uproar of laughter. The colour came back to her and the tense atmosphere was shattered.

"I thought you seriously didn't like me or you were hurt or something!" Arashi's laugh soon faded into a smile. "God, you don't have to worry about me, stupid."

"N-No," Kaho said, "I really can't be doing this." The crimson-haired girl looked at him cautiously before saying, "I think there's a possibility that Yunoki-senpai might be my boyfriend."

These words unaffected the cheerful guitarist. "Haha, I think that there might be a possibility that any one of them could be your boyfriend," he teased, remembering the jealous looks on their faces as he tried to kiss the female violinist. Well, Yunoki was definitely much more terrifying, but Arashi wasn't exactly _afraid_ of the boy. Although, by the looks of the rest of the people's faces, that didn't exactly seem to be the normal attitude of the guy called Yunoki. Well, that clearly showed that he had feelings for the female violinist. However, Yunoki had been the most subtle, and therefore, Arashi wasn't that sure yet. But the guitarist soon confirmed that with Kaho's thoughts.

"H-Huh?" Kaho asked, dumbfounded. Arashi chuckled at her denseness which didn't seem to change over the past two years.

Thinking that it was best that the crimson-haired girl figured out their feelings by herself, the guitarist simply said, "It's nothing." He got up from the bench and stretched his arms. "But in any case, I highly doubt he's your boyfriend," Arashi added, winking at her.

"M-Mm…" she mumbled. "If Arashi-kun says so…" The guitarist grinned at her. "But can I ask you a question?"

"Aren't you already asking me one?" he laughed. Kaho frowned angrily.

"Jeez, stop making a joke out of me," she protested.

Arashi grinned and pat her head softly. "Sorry, sorry," he apologised, "it's just you're too cute." The words caught her by surprise, making her flush a deep red on her cheeks.

"S-So can I or not?!" she yelled softly, squeezing her eyes in embarrassment.

"Sure, sure," Arashi replied with no hesitation. "Shoot." He looked at her with his dazzling emerald green eyes which were shining with excitement.

Kaho paused, mesmerized by his eyes. Realising that she was gawking at him, she shook her head to snap her self out of the trance and looked at him properly. "You're not affected by the fact that I don't remember anything?"

"Nope." The guitarist looked into the sky as he continued talking. "It's not your fault you lost your memories," he said, "and well, Kaho-chan is still Kaho-chan." He looked down at her, smiling, his eyes shining. "I'm sure your friends will except you no matter what too."

"What makes you so sure?" she asked softly. "How do you know that they'll definitely stay by my side like you will?" Her eyes grew soft yet so sad. "How?" She looked at him, her eyes looking like a curious child who was asking a question when she was upset. It was like a child asking why there were no castles made of candy like in fairytales, longing for something that was merely impossible to get. Arashi looked at her, his gaze softening with care.

He kneeled down and cupped her face in his hands. "They definitely won't leave you," he whispered. "Just by the look in their eyes, I can tell that much. They all love you. Each and every one of them. Fuyuumi-san looks at you like you're someone she admires and adores so much as if you're her real sister. And as more the guys…" he trailed off, chuckling softly. "Just trust me," he assured her. "They _won't_ leave you. Just try telling them."

"_No!_" Kaho half-screamed. Then she said softly, "I can't."

Arashi's face grew soft. "Kaho-chan," he murmured. "It'll be alright."

"Not now," she pleaded, her face looking as if she was about to cry. "Please." Arashi's eyes widened, shocked that she was so afraid of letting her friends know about her condition—wait, no. It wasn't that she was worried about. She was worried her friends would leave her.

Arashi rubbed her face gently. "Take your time," he murmured. "You don't have to rush. It's alright."

Kaho nodded slowly. "Mm…" The guitarist smiled at her and rose from the ground, bringing her to her feet.

"Well," he said cheerfully, "it's time I get you back to your crew before they get really angry." The guitarist winked at her and grinned. "Want to race?" he asked excitedly.

"Eh?" Kaho asked, dumbfounded.

Arashi's grin went higher. "Race with me," he insisted.

"Hmm…" the violinist mumbled, placing a finger onto her chin, her gaze facing the sky, looking as if she was making a decision. "Okay!" she yelled as she started running through the path of trees back to the beach, laughing happily.

"H-Hey!" Arashi called as he started running. "No fair! You're cheating!" he called out, laughing. Ahead of him, Kaho was laughing along with a huge grin on her face. Arashi wasn't really an athletic person but he soon caught up with the female violinist and ran along side with her. "I _can_ go ahead of you, you know?"

"Try me," Kaho tempted as she ran faster, still laughing.

As the two of them reached the point were they could see light from a pathway from the beach to the forest, a playful yet devilish smile pulled across Arashi's lips. The guitarist surpassed the crimson-haired girl easily and ran right in front of the beach, then turned around and stood at the area where Kaho would be running towards, stretching his arms out for her. The violinist, not being able to slow down, collided into the boy, making both of them fall onto the soft, sandy surface.

When Kaho opened her eyes, she saw Arashi below her, his emerald eyes observing her every movement with some sort of feeling in his eyes—amusement? She was in his arms which held her loosely and she was on top of him. Without wasting another second, she jerked out from his arms, her face flushed with many different shades of red. "S-Sorry," she mumbled as she rose to sit on the sand. "B-B-But it was _your_ fault for standing in f-front of me like that, Arashi-kun!" she complained.

The guitarist laughed. "It was on purpose, sweetheart," he said as he sat up from the ground with a grin.

"W-W-W-What? 'S-S-Sweetheart'?!" Kaho stuttered uncontrollably with embarrassment.

"It's just a little phrase, Kaho-chan," he teased. "English people say it all the time."

Then Kaho remembered that Arashi had told her that he was going to England three years ago—the second last year in middle school. "That's right," she mumbled, "Why aren't you in England?"

"Came back this summer holiday," he said, shrugging.

"Oh," she mumbled. "Then what school are you attending?"

Arashi shrugged once more. "I don't know yet," he replied. "Maybe a school nearby here or something. Might even go to Kyoto. I'm not too sure yet."

"K-Kyoto!?" Kaho asked, bewildered. "That's far!"

"Hmm…" Arashi mumbled. "Yeah, I guess it is." Then, he smiled at her. "At least it's not as far as England."

"I-I guess…" Kaho frowned. She didn't want to separate from him after finally remembering him. Especially since he was the only person she remembered and truly trusted. The fact that he might be going far away again made her heart sink.

Arashi pursed his lips at the violinist's reaction. He hated seeing her so upset. He smiled apologetically as he gently took her hands. "Don't worry about it for now," he murmured. "Let's just get back to your friends." He looked at her with his soft, gentle eyes which glimmered in the sunlight.

"Okay," she mumbled, not being able to say no to the angelic face which beamed at her with such kindness. Kaho allowed him to help her get up from the sand and she wiped the sand off her shorts. "Let's go," she said, smiling. The two of them walked back to the rest of the crowd together.

When they got there, Hihara came running towards them cheerfully. "Kaho-chan!" he yelled. "Are you okay now? Have you cooled down?" he asked, concerned.

_Cooled down?_ Kaho looked at him quizzically. _Oh wait. That was the excuse Arashi-kun gave them—I was having a problem with the heat. _The violinist smiled sweetly and silently at the fact Arashi managed to protect her from all the attention even though he never even knew _what_ exactly was wrong with her. She felt grateful and happy with the guitarist. _Thank you, Arashi-kun._ She thanked him mentally, still smiling. "Yeah," she replied Hihara's question, "I'm okay now." Kaho's eyes widened when she finally realised that everyone else had come to crowd around her and the guitarist, looking at her anxiously with concern. She smiled sweetly at them. "Don't worry," she assured them, "I'm fine."

Their faces of concern soon faded into expressions of relief. Fuyuumi shyly walked towards the crimson-haired girl and handed her an ice pack. "J-Just in case," she stuttered softly, "I got you an ice pack if K-Kaho-senpai can't take the heat." Kaho was shocked at the younger girl's kindness. She quickly regained her composure and smiled sweetly at Fuyuumi and wrapped the girl in her arms—a friendly hug. Fuyuumi blushed, stuttering, "K-K-Kaho-senpai?"

"Thank you, Fuyuumi-chan," the female violinist murmured.

"N-Not fair, Fuyuumi-chan!" Hihara protested energetically. "Even I got Kaho-chan a lot of cold drinks and some food!"

"How on earth is food going to help her?" Tsuchiura asked with a sigh.

"Umm… Ah! That is…" Hihara mumbled, confused at himself. "It gives energy?" Everyone sweat-dropped except for Kaho and Yunoki.

An unexpected sound came from the crimson-haired girl—a musical laugh that seemed to sound as if it was a tune that was being sung. "Hihara-senpai," she laughed, "thank you."

The trumpeter had many shades of red on his cheeks as he stuttered uncontrollably, "N-No, it's n-n-nothing!"

The female violinist smiled as she looked up from Fuyuumi's shoulders. Then, Kaho noticed something, making her release the younger girl's shoulders—the other violinist was no where to be seen. "Hey," she called, "where's Tsukimori-kun?"

"Eh? Wasn't he with you two?" Tsuchiura asked.

"What?" Kaho asked, shocked.

Shimizu rubbed his eyes sleepily as he walked towards the crowd. "Tsukimori-senpai said he was going to look for you since you were gone for a long time," he mumbled and yawned.

The female violinist's eyes widened with terror. Could it be that Tsukimori could have seen them or overheard what they were talking about? No, that couldn't be it. Maybe he just couldn't find them—but if he did… Kaho bit her lip and muttered, "I'll go look for him." If by any chance he had heard her secret, she had to get him to keep it low and the only way to do so was to get him when he was alone. She turned around and headed towards the forest, her footsteps increasing the pace every step she took.

"Hino," Tsuchiura called out. "I'll go with you."

"No," Kaho said, not bothering to turn around. "I'll go myself. It won't take long."

Everyone else just watched her despite wanting to follow her—including Arashi. Although, a purple-haired flutist watched her with narrowed eyes and soon walked from his position, into the forest using a different path.

Kaho walked through the path silently as she thought of the possibilities of Tsukimori overhearing her tell Arashi the truth. Could he really have heard it? Or was he just unable to find her? The violinist shook her head violently as she dismissed those thoughts. _No. Whatever it is, I've got to find out first. _Suddenly, she heard a voice, causing her to stop abruptly. "Kahoko." The voice was as beautiful as it was dark. It was mellow and soft, yet somehow having a demanding tone of its own. Kaho turned to the voice quickly and saw a purple-haired boy leaning on a tree with his arms crossed and his eyes shut.

"Y-Yunoki-senpai?" she asked, her eyes widening, her cheeks reddening. His eyes opened slowly, revealing golden orbs that watched her every movement attentively. He smirked at the blush on her cheeks but shut his eyes once more.

Yunoki sighed as if he was disappointed. "What are you calling me?" The female violinist hesitated.

"A-Azuma-senpai," she said softly. The flutist opened his eyes and walked towards her, making her walk backwards nervously. The crimson-haired girl then bumped into a tree with her back as she continued staring helplessly at the flutist who was getting closer to her with every step he took. When he was finally right in front of her, he pressed both his arms on the trunk of the tree on each side of her. Kaho's heart was beating rapidly as her cheeks started to heat up and become red. The proximity was making her mind go mad.

Leaning in, the flutist murmured, "That's right, Kahoko." The visible redness on the girl's cheeks made Yunoki smirk with amusement. "Now," he murmured darkly, "will you tell me what you were doing with Tsuboshi-san for such a long time?"

"I-I-I was…" Kaho stuttered uncontrollably as she tried to hide her face from him by looking downwards. Preventing her from doing so, the flutist used his hand to lift her face upwards to look at him. The golden orbs that stared at her attentively without looking away made her mind go blank and her heart beat faster than it already was. "I-It was nothing."

"Ka-ho-ko," he breathed seductively, "if you lie, I'll punish you." Yunoki moved in closer, making the crimson-haired girl squeeze her eyes shut as a reaction.

"W-We were just listening to music at a bench in a forest," she answered quickly. It was a white lie, of course. How could she tell Yunoki—a person who could possibly be her boyfriend—that she was huddled up with her childhood friend and singing together?

Yunoki smirked. "What kind of music?"

"Th-The music of the forest! B-Birds chirping and everything else!"

"Oh," Yunoki said with amusement. "That's bad, Kahoko."

"E-Eh?" she whispered, opening her eyes.

"You're lying," he murmured. "You're going to get punished." There was a slight shine in his eyes that was dark. His lips curved into a smile of amusement and at the same time were somehow evil. He was definitely going to punish her—badly.

_AND!!! OMG!! Another cliffy… xDDD Well, it's also because I've written a long chapter. I think this should do. Although, I must apologise for the abrupt stop. xD Sorry! Anyways, once again, HAPPY NEW YEAR. And the next chappie will indeed have punishment of Yunoki and Kahoko. xD Well, hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Do remember to __**REVIEW**__!_


	14. Trust

_Hey there! Oh, geez, it __**really**__ has been a while now, hasn't it? More than half a year, in fact! And even though I've been such an ass, there are still really nice people still reading and reviewing on this fanfic. I must apologise, seriously. I can't thank you guys enough for continuing to read my fanfic even though I haven't updated it for so long. My deepest apologies, seriously. Anyways, I must not keep you all for too long. I should let you guys feast your eyes on my new chappie. xD_

_Before we start, I'd like to give my thanks to all these people who have reviewed my 11__th__ chapter._

_Special thanks to;_

_**Gypsy-Airs-**__haha, well, I've given Len a chance to get his head on straight in this chap. Just you see xD_

_**chris3169512-**__ Rofl! No, no, he's not crazy. At least, I hope not. xD Well, jealousy is a trait when you're in love with someone lol xD_

_**cres-cres-**__ Well, I'm not so sure about that. Possibly, yes. xD But, I hope this way is also quite interesting for you. HOPEFULLY. xD _

_**Wings of Fidelity-**__ Hahaha, well, you're just going to have to see about that. xD And no, no, it's alright. I don't mind if you imagine Arashi as Suzaku. Everyone has the right to imagine! xD_

_**Kuran Juuri-**__ Tsuboshi? Well, hmm... I'll reveal that soon. xD And no!! Not a triangle! Like an octagon or a nonagon or something, rofl! xD_

_**laDy ruLebrEaker-**__ Tsukimori? HMMM. xD Find out in this chappie._

_**Saikono-san-**__ Well, I haven't decided, lol. I haven't really decided on a pairing. When the time comes, I might have to have everyone vote. Eheh. Why were they singing 'Always be my baby' by David Cook even though they're Japanese? That's an easy one. Arashi has been studying in England for a while now so he can speak English fluently. Kaho, on the other hand.... Well, that's why she's just the back up. xD_

_**kaho14belle- **__Haha, yeah, Arashi's sweet, eh? xD Well, you'll find out what punishment Kaho'll get in this chappie. XD_

_**L0veCurry- **__Haha, SORRY! I didn't really update that soon. Dx I still hope you'll read this chappie!_

_**Nikooru-sama-**__ Interesting, eh? That's a coolio way to put it! Thanks! xD_

_**Wasurerarenu Hitomi- **__Umm... Well, I haven't decided whether to make it AzumaxKaho yet. But I'll see! I'm not too sure about the pairings yet so... At one point I'm going to have to make a voting lol xD_

_**kechii-**__ Heh, yeah, dark Yunoki makes a spark in the anime, eh? xD Hmm, Tsukimori? Find out in this chap, my dear! xD_

_**NAO-chan33-**__ Hahaha, then here's more xD_

_**Barbieblair- **__And here's the punishment you wanted to see xD Haha, I'm sorry for not updating that often. But I'll try to do so! I really will!_

_**.miss-**__ I'm glad you're loving it! Well, here's the update... Although it wasn't exactly... Soon. I'm sorry! xC_

_**animearchitect-**__ Thankyou so much! Well, here's my updated chapter, please do read it! xD_

_**Kayrabelle-**__ I think I had replied you recently, so I'll just leave it at this; Please read this soon! xD_

**Trust**

A forest stood under the blazing hot sun, sheltering anything that stood under it with green leaves and maroon branches. There were many being protected by the shadows of the forest—birds, rabbits, deer, insects—namely two people, one male, one female, who stood at the very bark of a tree. The male had the female caged in between his arms, one hand used to tilt her face upwards to meet his while the other hand used to keep her caged. The male human had a dark aura around him, yet somehow at the same time, it was a tease. There was amusement in his eyes, watching each and every reaction of the crimson-haired girl who stood abashed in between his arms.

Kaho spoke first. "Y-Y-Yunoki-senpai, I—umm… I mean, Azuma-senpai,"

"Hmm?" he murmured as he leaned in further, his face only 5 centimetres away from hers. His body was lightly pressed against hers and his hand was lifting her chin so she couldn't turn away from him. The extremely close proximity was making Kaho's mind go mad. "What is it?" he smirked. His breath blew onto her face, making her blush a violent red. She could smell his breath; mint.

"I-I-I-I—" she stuttered uncontrollably. She pursed her lips and squeezed her eyes shut, unable to take the feeling of embarrassment inside her. She remained that way for at least 2 more minutes, unable to move.

"Kahoko," he whispered loud enough for her to hear, "open your eyes."

Yunoki's voice which had a touch of demand made her obedient enough to follow his order even though she didn't really want to. Her eyes opened slowly, her eyelids lifting slightly, revealing a pair of golden eyes that gazed at the flutist like a puppy which was unfamiliar with its owner. Yunoki's eyes widened slightly for a brief second at her cuteness. _This girl… She really __**has**__ affected me._ He smirked and leaned in closer; careful enough to make sure their faces didn't touch.

Kahoko squeaked with a small voice and flinched, trying to get back as much as she could. _She really is… __**Cute.**_Yunoki dropped his smirk, looked at her seriously and spoke. "Do you really want me to back away?"

"Pl-Please do." Kaho was blushing violently. Could her cheeks be any redder?

Yunoki smirked once more. "Then I won't." He leaned in slightly closer, pressed against her slightly harder.

"E-Eh?!" the crimson-haired girl whimpered.

"This is your punishment," he murmured into her ear. "Or do you want more?" Yunoki's lips lightly brushed her ear, making the female violinist squeeze her eyes shut and her cheeks to blush a deep red. His hot breath blowing onto her ear wasn't exactly helping either. The two of them stood there, unmoving for at least 5 minutes.

"Y-Yes," she whispered, almost out of breath.

Yunoki stood there, shocked at the girl's answer. He blinked for a moment, stunned. When had she been so… Lustful? He regained composure quickly, backed away from her ear and smirked. "Really?" he asked as he leaned in towards her face instead.

She pursed her lips and tried to turn her face away but failed. "B-But if I say no you're probably going to do so." She looked like an embarrassed small child trying to make a point when she couldn't.

Yunoki chuckled lightly at this. "Smart girl," he said, a small smile forming on his lips. However, Kaho couldn't see it considering she had her eyes tightly shut. Slowly, he backed away from her, releasing her chin and making his proximity further. "That's enough punishment," he whispered with a touch of malice in his voice, "for now." With that, Yunoki walked away silently with a smirk of satisfaction on his face.

When the purple-haired figure had left, Kaho's weak knees gave in, causing her to slide down the bark of the tree. She sat down on the ground, leaning on the tree bark; her face flushed crimson red, her heart racing at an abnormal pace. She was panting and her body felt oddly heated up. How was it he could easily make her body feel as if it were melting with merely a few stares, words and touches?

Kaho wondered if her body was reacting like that because it was Yunoki but she still had no clue. After all, he _had_ to be something more than a friend, right? No guy would do things like that unless the girl was girlfriend, right? _Right?_ The crimson-haired girl had no idea. She couldn't tell if the flutist was really her boyfriend or not. Arashi had denied it. But she still wasn't confirmed. Unless, of course, the flutist was just teasing her—which could definitely be the case referring to his attitude. However, it didn't seem like Yunoki showed the 'dark' side of him to others except for her. Well, of what she's observed so far that is. That was also why she had never questioned his attitude in front of others. But still… He was such a mystery. Could it be that he—?

"Hino?"

Kaho snapped her head towards the direction of the voice—Tsukimori. He was standing in front of her, about five meters apart. How long had he been there? She hadn't even noticed his footsteps. Did he see Yunoki? Did he see Yunoki p-pressing up against—?

The crimson-haired girl's face flushed a deeper red after thinking about the incident earlier. She shook her head, dismissing those thoughts. Slowly, she took in a deep breath and exhaled. The blush from her cheeks faded. Then, she looked up at Tsukimori again. She got up and stood and took a step forward towards Tsukimori. "Yes?" she replied.

"Just now... Were you...?" Tsukimori paused and looked away for a moment. He kept quiet and soon turned to look at her again. "Never mind," he muttered softly. "Where's Tsuboshi?"

"Eh?" Kaho flinched. Was she what? Oh no, did he see Yunoki pressing up against her and everything? Or...Could he have seen Tsuboshi and her together? Could he have heard her telling her childhood friend that she had lost her memories? Many questions jumbled up in her mind but she dismissed them. _No, I can't be too sure of that. He never said anything of the sort. He just asked where Arashi-kun is. There's no meaning in it... I hope. _"He's back at the beach." She pursed her lips and strained a smile to Tsukimori. "I came looking for you since everyone said that you came looking for us." She couldn't smile properly now. She had way too many things on her mind.

"You came... Looking for me?" Tsukimori asked, bewildered. He shifted his eyelids slightly and faced her again once more. He felt something odd creep up to him; an emotion. Joy? He wasn't too sure. He quickly got rid of any emotion he felt and shrugged it off. "Thanks," he mumbled, "but I'm fine. You..." He trailed off and kept quiet again.

Kaho looked at him with questioning eyes with traces of anxiety in them. Did he really see her and Yunoki? Or...Tsuboshi? A lump formed in her throat and her heart rate sped up. She was getting worried if he had seen anything she didn't want him to. Tsukimori was oddly sharp when it came to those kind of things and that trait of him didn't please her too much as she didn't want anyone to know of her missing memories. "W-What is it?" she asked cautiously.

The blue-haired boy looked at her with a worried pair of golden eyes. He couldn't comprehend why she was so distressed these days. Despite his questioning, she had always avoided him... But it seemed to be like she could somehow show Tsuboshi her sadness. Didn't she trust him? He felt a sharp pain penetrate his hard, cold figure. It was so vividly shown that he was worried for her. However, blinded by her anxiety, the female violinist couldn't tell. Slowly, Tsukimori spoke with utmost carefulness to make sure she wouldn't shut him out completely. "No, it's just... You... Just now, with Tsuboshi... You were crying?" he asked her.

Kaho felt a sudden feeling of shock run through her body, making her shiver. Her eyes widened, her heart pace increased and her pulse becoming louder. She started to break out cold sweat and could feel perspiration trickle down her spine as she stared at him blankly in shock, not knowing what to say. All she could think of was the fact Tsukimori had definitely seen her crying, and she wasn't sure if he had heard her conversation with Tsuboshi. She wondered if he was going to leave her as she feared, or even tell the rest about her condition if he really had heard their conversation. Her mind spun with all her inner questions and anxiety slamming down on her at once. Then, Kaho's mind went blank after all the confusion, not knowing how to respond. It was as if her body had shut off for momentarily with her just standing there, blankly staring at the male violinist in front of her.

Tsukimori eyed her suspiciously as she was merely staring at him, motionless. He wondered if it was a scene she didn't want him—or anyone to see and if she had _really _told Tsuboshi what was troubling her. Somehow, this made him slightly ticked off; knowing that she couldn't trust him even though he was really worried about her and had bluntly asked her about her condition. He sighed with irritation, knowing that his inner questions were getting him nowhere. Then he decided to call her as she didn't seem to respond in any way. She was standing so still that it seemed that she had even stopped breathing. He looked at her anxiously, wondering if she really _wasn't _breathing. "Hino-san?"

Kaho flinched, regaining all her senses in one swift jerk. She blinked, her hands twitched and she started to breath with evidence again. "Eh?" she breathed. She looked at Tsukimori with terror in her eyes. Worried for her, the blue-haired boy reached out to the scared girl and touched her shoulder. She jerked back quickly, breathing heavily. Tsukimori looked at her, slightly shocked because of her sudden jerk. He withdrew his hand and apologised.

"I didn't mean to surprise you," he murmured as his gaze dropped to his hand which she had rejected. "I just wanted to check if..." He trailed off for a few seconds. "Are you alright?"

"H-Huh?" Kaho asked, still stiff in her frightened reaction. "Y-Yeah," she replied stiffly, "I'm fine." She dropped her gaze. "I'm fine," she repeated. She stood there for a moment, trying to pull herself together and remember what Tsukimori had asked her again. She was filled with so much anxiety that it caused her to forget what he had asked her, and if she didn't know, she couldn't answer him now could she? Then she remembered; he had asked her if she had been crying in the presence of Tsuboshi. Seemingly, he had seen them so she couldn't lie now... Could she? She had no idea what to say as an excuse and her stalling for too long would only make the male violinist more suspicious. "Yeah, I was," she blurted out quickly. "You were watching?" she asked, trying to make it sound like an accusation so he wouldn't ask why she was crying.

"No," he replied calmly. "As you said, I merely was looking for the two of you." He walked towards her until he stood in front of her. His eyes which never looked away intimidated her; that wasn't good. She wouldn't be able to lie to him so easily with him being able to watch her face properly. "You happened to be crying when I found you two so I just walked away."

Kaho's gaze rose to meet his. "But you didn't go back to the beach?" She looked at him, puzzled. Then she remembered the question she wanted to ask him the most. "Did you stay on and listen to me speak to Arashi-kun?" she asked accusingly.

Tsukimori studied her curious look on her face before answering. "No," he replied, "I didn't listen to the two of you." Although, it seemed like it would've been a good idea to him now, because that way, he'd have gotten to know what was up with her odd attitude recently. But he didn't tell her that. Instead, he shrugged it off as it was too late to do anything of the sort now. He sighed, when he saw that Kaho didn't seem to believe him. "I thought it would be nice to walk around and get a few things off my mind."

_Yes, it's working, _Kaho thought. Kaho's questions were drifting him away from finding out why she was crying. To know that he hadn't eavesdropped made her feel much more calm too. But then again, she didn't know if he was lying so she still had to be on her guard. _Hopefully, he'll just forget about trying to find out what I was talking about to Arashi-kun._ She subtly smiled to herself about this fact. "Like what?" she questioned. "What things?"

Tsukimori sighed. "I've been trying to _get them off my mind_, haven't I?"

"O-Oh," Kaho mumbled. "S-Sorry." She cursed inwardly for her insensitiveness by not realising he obviously didn't want to talk about it. And to think she just asked him to get her own benefits... How rude could she get? She sighed and apologised once more. "I was being insensitive—I'm sorry."

The blue-haired boy just stared at her. "So why were you crying, anyways?" he asked.

_Oh shoot. Not that one. _Kaho cursed at herself this time, for forgetting to be cautious. She gulped as her eyes started to show fear in them. "I-I... I..." She pursed her lips and gulped another lump in her throat. "I don't want to t-talk about it right now..." She mumbled and dropped her gaze to the floor. Silence engulfed the two after the crimson-haired girl had spoken.

"You don't trust me?" Tsukimori asked in a mumble. It sounded like a disappointed scoff, yet somehow so sad. Kaho's head rose and stared at him, worried. Had she really upset him so deeply? She couldn't see the male violinist's expression as he had turned his head away.

"N-No, it's not that!" Kaho exclaimed quickly. "I-It's not that I don't trust you, I just..." She trailed off. Who was she kidding? He was right. She _didn't_ trust him. At least, not as much as she trusted Tsuboshi as she truly remembered her childhood friend. She didn't remember the male violinist except for a few scenes where he played the violin with her and she _couldn't _trust him just like that. He didn't seem to be the nicest person she'd known either, so she wasn't too sure if it was alright to trust him or not. She bit her lip and lowered her gaze once more. Her mind was spinning as she was thinking and worrying about too many things at one time. Her gaze was suddenly becoming blur her mind was hurting. She leaned against the tree gently, trying to regain her focus again.

"Hino, look at me," Tsukimori demanded. Kaho slowly lifted her head and stared at the blurred figure. She heard him sigh. "You're pale, Hino," he murmured. "Forget about it for now, I think you should go get some rest."

"Y-Yeah," she mumbled. Suddenly, her head spun uncontrollably and felt a sharp pain strike her mind. The blur images she saw started to swerve and spin. The next thing she knew, she was being held by Tsukimori who was kneeling on the ground. She heard her name being called by Tsukimori. His voice sounded really worried; sincerely worried. Was she imagining things? She wasn't too sure. Her mind was hurting so much that she couldn't tell anymore.

"Hino?!" Tsukimori called again. He watched her worriedly as her face started to turn even more pale. He couldn't understand what was wrong with her. She wasn't eating much lately, she got frequent headaches and now she collapses from time to time? What was _wrong_ with this woman? He bit his lip and places his hand onto her forehead, checking if she had a fever. She didn't. "Are you okay?" he asked her, worried.

"M-Mm. Yeah," she mumbled and closed her eyes. "I-I'm just a bit tired I think." Kaho heard him sigh; she couldn't tell if it was in relief or annoyance. "I'm sorry," she apologised, just in case.

"Don't apologise," he said to her. "Come." Slowly, he turned her around, and lifted her onto his back. "Hold on." The crimson-haired girl did as she was told and rested her head on his shoulders as he carried her. She shut her eyes and focused on getting her mind clear again. "I'll get you back to the villa." Then, he started walking through the path of the forest.

"E-Eh?" Kaho jerked slightly, alarmed.

"Don't move," Tsukimori ordered her instantly. Kaho did as she was told and rested her head on his shoulders once more.

"Shouldn't we go back to the beach and tell everyone else first?" she mumbled.

Tsukimori smiled at this. She hadn't been herself lately, but she was still always worrying about others as always. Knowing that she was still somehow herself made him feel relieved. "Don't worry about it," he said softly. "It's more important to get you to the villa so you can rest first—I'll explain everything to them later on."

"Mm...Okay." Kaho perched on his back and relaxed. She started to drift off, until she suddenly remembered something again. She tensed up and quickly asked, "But what about Arashi-kun? He'll be worried—"

"I'll go back after I drop you off and explain everything to all of them then, okay?" he said, cutting her off.

"Y-Yeah," she murmured, starting to relax again. "Okay then."

The blue-haired boy carried the female violinist through the silence towards the villa. Soon enough, Kaho drifted off into a peaceful slumber, relieving her from the pains in her mind. Tsukimori carried her, questioning himself if the crimson-haired girl was physically or mentally disturbed. There definitely seemed to be something odd with her. He wondered if it could be mood swings or possibly something medically wrong with her condition. However, it seemed like her attitude was odd as well. Her getting worked up about singing and... Everything. He wasn't too sure but he would definitely ask her again about what she was crying about when she was more calmed down and her condition was better.

Finally, they arrived at the villa. Tsukimori carried her into their room; Room 4. He gently placed her onto the bed and pulled the covers over her after he had done so. He stroked the side of her cheek softly, sitting at the edge of the bed, watching her. Then, he jerked his hand back in surprise when he realised what he was doing. _What the hell am I doing?_ He questioned himself. Was _he_ going insane too? He sighed, and rose from the bed. Suddenly, he felt his hand being tugged and spun around to see a semi-conscious crimson-haired girl looking at him with a weak pair of eyes. Her mouth moved slightly. He could make out the word she had just said.

"Stay."

Tsukimori stared at her, stunned. Why was the female violinist asking him to stay? Wasn't she the one who was worried about everyone else who was at the beach? He sighed and sat on the other bed which was nearby. "Alright, I'll stay." Kaho's eyes grew softer and a small smile formed on her face. She seemed to feel safe and shut her eyes. Tsukimori then decided he would go back to the beach and explain the situation to everyone else when Kaho fell asleep. He watched her peacefully falling into a slumber as she held his hand. A small smile formed on his lips as well as he watched her peaceful figure. Then, he looked outside the window, watching the breeze blow the leaves off the trees and the clouds slowly moving. The peaceful scene made him feel better. When Kaho finally completely fell asleep, he got up and placed her hand onto the bed. Then, Tsukimori headed out of the villa to return back to the beach.

_I really hope you liked this chapter! I __**will**__ be updating soon. This time, for sure. I'll be updating soon. I'd really appreciate it if you leave a review. I love reading reviews. They REALLY give me the motivation to update. xD So please do so! I'll be waiting to read on what you think of my fanfic. xD ANYWAYS, I'll leave it here for now, and in case I don't make it on time to tell you guys; _

_**HAPPY HALLOWEEN! XD**_


	15. The Others

_Hey there! It hasn't been too long since I've updated my 14__th __chapter. xP And I'm glad to be back. I loved the reviews; thank you all so much. I was really happy to see so many reviews even though I hadn't updated in ages! And here we go—My 15__th__ chapter done in less than a month. xD _

_Okay, before we get started, I'll just start of with some special thanks to the people who had reviewed my 14__th__ chapter. Thank you all very, very much; _

_**Gizelle-chan**_

_**ErzaScarlet14**_

_**Kayrabelle**_

_**Franfranxlurvesxpiano**_

_**Kurankira**_

_**cres-cres**_

_Well, it's not as many people compared to the amount who reviewed my 13__th__ chapter but I can't be choosy; after all, my 14__th__ chapter came ages after! Dx Once again, I'm sorry, lol. But thank you guys, once again. I've replied your reviews individually by mail; hope you read it! xD And to those who didn't review but put on story alert, I'm glad you read my story and liked it enough to put it on your alert but I'd REALLY appreciate it if you reviewed too. Cx If you don't mind, of course._

_Anyways, moving on;_

**The Others**

"Tsukimori-senpai?" a blonde boy mumbled sleepily as he saw the male violinist approach the beach alone. "Wasn't Kaho-senpai with you?"

The young boy who played the cello was sitting on top of a mat located under a beach umbrella on the sandy land, relaxing there instead of playing with the others. The others were either playing beach ball or walking along the beach. The flutist was located on a beach chair located about 5 meters away from where the cellist was, also under a beach umbrella, reading some book that was in his hands peacefully, undisturbed. Beside the purple-haired boy was Kanazawa who seemed to be occupied with something he held in his arms. Shimizu was the closest from the direction Tsukimori approached from and therefore managed to detect him first.

"Hino was tired so I took her back to the villa," Tsukimori answered simply as he positioned himself to sit down beside the cellist. Shimizu wiped his eyes groggily and started to stare at the sea. Tsukimori's gaze also drifted to face the wide blue ocean.

"Oh," he mumbled with his soft, sleepy tone. "Is she okay?" he added worriedly.

"She's fine; she just needs some rest," the blue-haired boy replied.

A smile formed on Shimizu's lips with a look of relief. "That's good then," he mumbled. "Kaho-senpai... I wonder if she's really alright." His eyes flickered slightly, showing a sign of worry. "She had a headache earlier as well..."

Tsukimori continued staring at the ocean silently. _Hino..._ _What on earth is making her have so much pain?_ He wondered. No matter how many times he wondered, none of the information he had seemed to match up together. He let out a small sigh and shut his eyes for a moment, trying to get his mind off her case. The blonde cellist beside him turned to look at him with curious eyes. "Tsukimori-senpai... Are you worried about Kaho-senpai?" the cellist mumbled. Tsukimori lifted his eyelids open but didn't look at the curious cellist. Instead, he continued gazing at the vast ocean upon him. They flickered as if in realisation as he took in a deep breath slowly.

"I'm worried," he murmured too soft for the blonde boy to hear. It wasn't really a reply but a statement he was telling himself. It was like he finally realised that all of it—his habit of trying to understand the girl—was merely because he was worried. He pursed his lips but left his gaze where it was. Shimizu who didn't hear his reply just dropped it, thinking that the male violinist had too many things on his mind. So, the blonde cellist resumed staring at the sea.

After a few minutes, the blonde boy got up and wiped away the dust from his pants slowly. Tsukimori's gaze finally separated from the sea and looked at his kouhai. "I'm going back to the villa," Shimizu said groggily. "I want to see Kaho-senpai."

"Alright," Tsukimori said as he rose from the mat too. "I'll let the others know that you're going back." Shimizu gave him a smile of gratitude and left the beach grounds with his usual slow pace. The blue-haired boy sighed and headed off to the group who were playing volleyball. With his appearance, the four people stopped playing.

"Tsukimori," Hihara called out, approaching him first. "Eh? Didn't you see Kaho-chan? She was looking for you." The trumpeter stopped walking right in front of the male violinist, holding a ball in his arms.

The blue-haired boy calmly stood there with a perfect posture as he replied. "I saw her," he confirmed, "but she was tired so she went back to the villa." Arashi's eyes widened as a small trace of terror could be seen in his green orbs. However, it wasn't very noticeable and no one realised it.

"She went alone?" Arashi asked softly. Tsukimori's gaze travelled to catch his. With his sharpness in noticing things, he realised that Arashi was staring at him with total horror—even though it wasn't really obvious.

The male violinist narrowed his eyes slightly and pursed his lips. "No," he said firmly. "I sent her back there." Arashi's gaze softened and his shoulders slumped in relief.

"Eh? Is Kaho-chan alright?" Hihara asked, worried. Tsukimori sighed. How many times was he going to get that question, direct or indirect?

"She's fine," the male violinist said. "She's just tired."

Hihara's worried face still didn't falter. "Eh? Then I'll go back to the villa and make sure she's okay," the trumpeter decided. 

"I'll come too!" Amou declared as she shot her hand up in the air. "I'll go get Fuyuumi; I don't think she wants to be left here alone with all the guys," she said, winking. With that, she left the group and went to go get Fuyuumi who was taking a stroll along the beach peacefully.

Tsuchiura ruffled his hair on the back of his head as he sighed. "Tired again?" he mumbled to himself too softly, inaudible to other people.

Arashi who was standing beside him gazed at the ground silently, thinking about his childhood friend's safety. He wondered if she had gotten another headache and was unable to tell Tsukimori about it. After all, she didn't trust anyone enough to tell them she had lost her memory except for Arashi himself—and that's only because she miraculously got her memories of him back. However, he couldn't protect her forever. She lived with her friends and since he didn't know them very well, he couldn't exactly _invite_ himself to the villa to check up on Kaho. It would be rude. But even so… It was tempting enough as he definitely wanted to assure that she was alright. He sighed as his emerald-green orbs started to darken.

"Tsuboshi-san?" Arashi jerked his head up after hearing his name. In front of him, he saw Amou gazing at him curiously with Fuyuumi beside her who looked timid as usual. He quickly smiled at her and regained his composure.

"Yes?" he asked, looking at them with soft eyes. Amou swiftly lifted her camera and took a shot of his face which was unbelievably gorgeous. After she had taken a photo, Arashi looked at her, bewildered. Amou grinned at him and told him not to mind her. The guitarist smiled and chuckled lightly. "Anyways, is there something you wanted, other than taking a photo of me?"

"Oh, I just wanted to ask you if you'd like to come along to the villa with us," she said, grinning. "You're worried about her aren't you? Hino-san, that is." She turned her gaze to Fuyuumi and smiled. "Fuyuumi, you wouldn't mind, would you?"

"N-No," the green-haired girl replied shyly in her soft, sweet voice. "P-Please do join us."

Arashi looked at them, surprised. "Can I?"

"Sure!" Amou said cheerfully. "Don't worry about it."

The guitarist's face lit up at the offer and grinned at the two. "Thank you very much!" Amou squealed a little and started to take photos of the brunette.

The male violinist and the pianist just stared at them silently, not knowing what to say. They both sighed in unison. When they realised that the other had sighed as well, their gaze travelled and met each other and stared for a while before looking at the opposite direction in disgust. Then, they both remained in silence. After a few minutes, Tsuchiura spoke. "So is she really alright? She's not affected from the heat anymore?"

Tsukimori didn't look at the pianist but instead stared at the sky. "No, she's not affected from the heat anymore," he said. "She should be fine with some rest." _I hope…_ he thought. He hoped that she was fine but still, he wasn't too sure. All he could do was hope.

"That's good," Tsuchiura mumbled. "I'm going to go walk around for a bit."

"Why are you telling me?" Tsukimori questioned. He didn't care for that matter really.

Tsuchiura glared at the boy. "Oh, I'm sorry then for saying something that wasn't worth your time." He then walked away angrily, ignoring the male violinist.

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Back at the villa, Shimizu had finally reached it and was walking past the living room much quicker than his usual pace—he wanted to see his senpai. Rushing up the steps of the stairs, he started to pant as he didn't usually run that much. He was more of a 'my pace' person, but when it came to his female senpai, he found himself doing things he didn't really think he could. How mysterious. Finally he got to the second floor and started to wonder what room his Kaho was put in; he forgot. He thought about it and decided to try room 1 because he remembered that there were girls in that room. He opened the door to room 1 but didn't find the crimson-haired girl. He sighed and started to search again. _Room 3 is where Kanashiro-sensei is… So that must mean Kaho-senpai is in room 4… _he thought. As usual, he didn't remember his sensei's name and was oblivious to his wrong facts. He clutched the handle to Room 4 and slowly turned in and pushed lightly. The door opened. The first thing he saw was an open window with wind blowing the curtains inwards and the calm, blue sky shining from the outside. Then, as he turned his head slightly, he saw the female violinist lying on the bed with a white sheet covering her up to her chest. She was sleeping peacefully, her eyes shut and her breathing was light.

The blonde boy let out a sigh of relief to see his senpai sleeping so peacefully, undisturbed. He walked over to the girl with his calm, slow pace and sat on the edge of the bed, glancing at her. Then, he slowly put his head onto the pillow and stared at her face silently. He watched her slowly movements as she breathed, inhaling and exhaling. _Kaho-senpai looks so soft and warm… Her cheek looks really soft…_ he thought to himself. _She smells kind of nice. Like lavender smell… _He brought his face closer to hers and just followed his own intuition. Without thinking, he placed his lips onto the skin of her cheek gently and shut his eyes. Slowly, he moved away and started to stare at her again. Somehow, he found pleasure in kissing her, but he didn't fully understand it himself. So he did it again, gently placing his lips onto her cheek and took his time enjoying it. He moved away and did it again. And again. Slowly, he found himself tracing his kisses to her neck. Kaho's lavender smell was strong here and it made him want to taste her. He found his emotions very odd, but he was the type to do things he wanted to when he wanted. He didn't bother thinking at all.

Shimizu inhaled, taking in the sweet smell into his lungs, savouring every moment he had to smell the irresistible scent. Then, by following his instincts, he opened his mouth to a small size and placed it on his senpai's neck and sucked. The girl mumbled in her sleep but Shimizu didn't budge. He just continued to suck until he had enough consciousness to let go. Finally, when he took his mouth of her neck, there was a clear red mark which had formed; a hickey. He looked at her sleepily and rubbed his eyes. "Kaho-senpai," he mumbled. He got off the bed, suddenly realising what he was doing. He didn't find it _wrong_ but was confused with what he just did. But it felt good and he liked it so he just shrugged it off easily. Watching the crimson-haired girl sleep started to make him feel sleepy, so he lay onto the bed next to her which was, as usual, a very short distance to the bed beside it. It was easy to reach out to his senpai if he slept there and it felt calming. He shut his baby blue eyes and drifted off into a peaceful slumber soon after he lay his head on the pillow of the other bed.

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"So, what year are you in, Tsuboshi-kun?!" Amou asked enthusiastically. The five of them—Arashi, Amou, Fuyuumi, Hihara and Yunoki—were walking back to the villa together. Of course, the one talking the most was Amou, who had her camera out in case of any really good emotions showed by the one person she was really interested in—Arashi. She found him fascinating and not to mention gorgeous. It wasn't like she was _in love_ with him or _liked _him for that matter. It was just something she did; talk to drop-dead gorgeous guys and take photos of them. Stalk them, if she had to really.

"Ah, I'm in second year of high school," he replied courteously.

Amou's face beamed. "Really?! That means you're in the same year as me!" Arashi smiled.

"So what year is everyone else in, then?" he asked.

"We're in the year above you, Yunoki and I," Hihara said, grinning cheerfully as always.

Amou started to grin too, as she continued about the other students. "Tsukimori and Tsuchiura are also in the same year as us," she chirped.

"Oh," Arashi said as he grinned, beaming with gratitude that everyone was excepting him so willingly. "And Fuyuumi-san, what year are you in?" he asked as he bent down to see her face properly as she was much shorter than him.

Fuyuumi's cheeks turned red as she answered bashfully. "I-I'm in the f-first year o-of high school," she stuttered shyly.

"Hmm…" Arashi stared at her with curious eyes, making her become more self-conscious. Her blush deepened as her body temperature increased; she was embarrassed. Arashi chuckled. "Don't be so stiff, Fuyuumi-san," he laughed. "I'm not going to bite you or anything." The rest of the group joined him in his cheerful laughter which lightened the mood.

"O-Okay," she mumbled, still embarrassed.

Amou smiled at the green-haired girl, encouraging her to be more outspoken. "Fuyuumi, you don't have to be shy around us. I'm here," she encouraged. Fuyuumi nodded in agreement but her blush didn't fade.

"So," Arashi began, "where is this villa of yours?" He folded his arms behind his head to support it as he walked.

"Ah," Fuyuumi murmured. "We're almost there." The guitarist's gaze turned to the sky, letting out a 'hmm'.

"So, Tsuboshi-kun, what's your relationship with Kaho-chan?" Hihara asked curiously.

Arashi stopped staring at the sky and looked at Hihara. "Huh?" he asked, gazing at Hihara with surprised eyes.

"A-Ah, no, I mean, that is, were you ever anything more to her than a childhood friend?" Hihara said quickly, waving his hands around, anxious Arashi might take his question the wrong way. The guitarist's emerald green eyes softened and looked like glistening liquid.

The hazel-haired boy smiled, his expressions softened and his voice was a sweet murmur. "No," he answered slowly. "We were only childhood friends back then." Seeing Arashi's bittersweet expression made Hihara want to question no more. Yunoki who was nearby noticed his expression meant more. He wasn't too sure what, or why, but there was definitely some meaning behind it. However, he wasn't one to keep silent when he wanted an answer.

"Did she mean more to you?" Yunoki daringly asked, keeping his composure. He smiled at the boy, pretending to be oblivious of the guitarist's expression just a minute ago. As usual, he was being his 'fake' self. However, Arashi was unfazed by the question.

He grinned at Yunoki and lowered his slender arms to dangle from his body. "Who knows?" He left it at that.

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Tsuchiura walked along the beach silently and proceeded to the rocky part of the beach were the waves smashed against the wall of rocks. He sat at the edge of the rocks and watched the sea wave crash gracefully against the hard surface of brown rocks. The waves seemed to dance in a motion where it would come inwards and outwards, spinning and twisting with every approach. The green-haired boy sighed, letting out all of his troubles out with one breath.

"Hino," he muttered to himself. The pianist hadn't really gotten the chance to talk to the crimson-haired girl lately and he despised that fact. He missed her dearly, even though they weren't far apart. However, it seemed as if she was ill these days and he was worried about her. He yearned to see her and spend time with her; help her get over her illness if he had too. He just wanted an excuse to be with the girl. Although, it didn't really seemed like she was in need of him. She hadn't really been talking to him much as she did before and he didn't like that. As for Tsukimori… Oh, joy, now he _was _so much help now wasn't he? A grimace formed on Tsuchiura's face just thinking of the male violinist. He couldn't understand how someone could be so cocky and proud. Just to tell that narcissist anything was such a pain as well. The pianist couldn't see how _anyone_ could communicate with that anti-social idiot. Thinking of the narcissist was already getting him pissed off, so he lay down onto the rocky surface of where he was sitting and stared at the skies to clear his mind. Later on, definitely, he'll spend time with her. _Definitely._

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Finally, the group of five had reached Fuyuumi's villa and were entering. Amou kept on going on about giving Arashi a tour around the villa—along with Fuyuumi of course; she herself would've gotten them lost. Hihara cheerfully told Arashi that the villa was massive and was amazing. As the guitarist noticed, there was a mixture of Japanese and Western antiques, combined together to create a clashing scenery—but he didn't mind it. Fuyuumi shyly told him that there were practice rooms for music which they all used and if he'd like, he could take a look at them.

"Oh, so you all play music?" Arashi asked in surprise.

"I play the trumpet!" Hihara declared, grinning. "Yunoki plays the flute, Tsuchiura—the piano, Fuyuumi plays the clarinet, Shimizu plays the cello, Tsukimori plays the violin, and as you know, Kaho-chan plays the violin too!"

Arashi looked at the trumpeter, dumbstruck. "Kaho-chan plays the violin?" he questioned. Sure, he remembered her mentioning something about a violin, but he didn't really take it seriously. Since when had _she_ been interested in music?

"Eh? You didn't know, Tsuboshi-kun?" Hihara asked, confused.

"Ah, no, she wasn't playing the violin when I was in the same school as her," Arashi mentioned. "Then again, I haven't seen her for three years." He chuckled awkwardly.

"Hmm…" Hihara mumbled, mused. "Oh! I forgot! Amou plays the piano too!"

Arashi's gaze travelled to Amou with questioning eyes, wondering if she really did. She laughed embarrassedly. "Only as a hobby, though," she said, grinning. "I'm not that good at it."

"No, it's still really good to know an instrument, even if it's just for a hobby," Arashi said as he smiled at her. She squealed and jumped around, taking photos. Arashi sweat-dropped.

"AH!" Hihara suddenly yelled, diverting all the attention to him unintentionally. "I just remembered! I wanted to go see Kaho-chan! I'll see you guys later, yeah?!" he yelled as he ran up the stairs.

Yunoki chuckled, amused. "He really is enthusiastic now, isn't he?" Then, he walked down the corridor, and turned around. "I've got a few things to do so I'll see you guys later."

"O-Okay," Amou mumbled. She never really got along with that purple-haired guy. When he was no longer in sight, she turned to Arashi with excited eyes. "So what shall we do now?"

"Umm," a small voice interrupted. "Sorry, Amou-senpai, but I actually want to ask Tomita-san to arrange something, so…" she trailed off.

"Oh? Okay then, I'll see you later, Fuyuumi," Amou said cheerfully, allowing the girl to be excused.

The green-haired girl bowed appreciatively and thanked her. "Then I will be leaving now, Amou-senpai, T-Tsuboshi-senpai." With that, only the two of them were left. Amou sighed, finding it not as fun without many people. But then again, she still had a gorgeous boy next to her, so she was satisfied.

"So? Would you like to see the garden? Or—?" Amou asked.

Arashi pondered over the question for a moment. "Could I see Kaho-chan instead? I want to make sure she's alright."

"Sure," Amou agreed, grinning. _Wow, Hino-san really _is_ lucky. She has so many guys worried about her. Talk about violin romance!_ She thought to herself. She smiled at this fact. That girl was definitely _very_ interesting.

They walked up the stairs with Amou telling Arashi about her dream career and how much she loved the camera. Then, the finally reached the room; room 4. They heard a soft tune playing from the inside and entered cautiously, not wanting to disturb the person who was playing the tune. They saw two figures sleeping on two separate beds peacefully—Kaho and Shimizu. Nearby the window was Hihara, who was playing his trumpet really softly, as if it were a lullaby. The lullaby was beautiful and serenading. Its soft tune's melody made listeners heart's melt with the sound of it. Finally, when he finished playing it he opened his eyes, only to see a small audience gathered.

"Eh? Amou-chan? Tsuboshi-kun?" he whispered, shocked.

"Hihara-senpai!" Amou chirped softly. "That was amazing!"

Hihara blushed, embarrassed. "O-Oh, you heard that?" He ducked his head, his face reddening. "T-Thanks!" he said enthusiastically as he jerked his head upwards, grinning. Amou quickly put her finger onto her lips, indicating 'shh'. "Oh, oops," he muttered in a whisper as he apologised. "A-Anyways I'm going to go practice my trumpet for a while, excuse me," he mumbled softly as he walked past them to exit the room.

"Ah! Hihara-senpai," Amou hissed. "I want to ask you a few things for the school newspaper!" After all, what was the best time but when he couldn't go _home_ to run away from her? He exited the room, Amou quickly following. "Sorry, Tsuboshi-san," she muttered before she exited the room. "You can follow me if you'd like."

Arashi shook his head, rejecting her offer. "I'll stay here," he murmured. Amou gave him one last apologetic glance before she left the room. Arashi walked slowly across the room silently towards his childhood friend. He stood before her, his gaze never leaving her. He sat at the edge of the bed and traced her jaw lines with his fingers. His emerald eyes softened as they stared at her. "Kaho-chan," he murmured as he brought his hands to play idly with her red hair. He combed through her hair gently, smoothly going through the locks of her hair. He continued doing so for many minutes without leaving his gaze from her face. Her face was in peace like a child sleeping. Her sad lines on her face were gone and all that was left was a peaceful, sweet face. Arashi smiled as he watched her.

After about 15 minutes, Kaho's golden eyes opened slowly, revealing a perfect face with soft green eyes gazing at her. She blinked, getting rid of the blur in the image. After being able to recognise the face, she mumbled his name softly, unsure if she was just dreaming or if he was really there. "Arashi-kun?" The two corners of his lips folded upwards.

"Kaho-chan," he murmured. "You okay?" Her eyes widened immediately and she jerked upwards. Her sudden jerk surprised Arashi, making him jerk backwards. "Ah, sorry," he murmured. "I didn't mean to do that." He didn't want to upset Kaho for jerking backwards unconsciously. He looked at her with his innocent eyes, hoping that he didn't. She didn't seem fazed at all. Just confused.

"Eh?" Kaho looked at him with curious, child-like eyes. "A-Arashi-kun, why are you here?" she asked, still confused. Arashi pretended to look hurt.

"You don't want me to be here with you?" he asked in a sad tone. He put a sad puppy-dog face at her, knowing that she was a sucker for it.

"E-Eh? N-No! That's not it," she said quickly. "I like having you with me…" she mumbled.

Arashi still gave her a sad look. "So you just don't want me to be here?"

"L-Like I said, that's not it!" she yelled in protest, trying to make sure she didn't hurt the guitarist's feelings.

"Heh," he chuckled and smiled at her as he placed a finger on her lips and indicated that Shimizu was sleeping. "I was only teasing you," he confessed. Arashi gave her a childish grin, showing that he was fooling around. A blush formed on Kaho's cheeks as she realised she was taken for a fool.

She pouted. "Arashi-kun you idiot," she hissed, looking in the opposite direction from his face. Arashi chuckled. He loved seeing her like that—she was so cute.

The guitarist cupped her face with his hands, gently pulling her face back to see his. "Hmm?" he mused. "I'm an idiot, am I?" He was evidently amused with her reaction. "It takes one to know one," he teased.

"I-I'm not an idiot!" she hissed in protest, still pouting. Arashi chuckled again.

"Anyways, if you're feeling better, would you like to come for a walk with me?" he asked. "I'll show you my place," he added, winking.

Kaho's face lit up. "Can I?" she asked excitedly. Arashi indicated at Shimizu again who was sleeping but didn't wake up despite all the noise they had made—well, _Kaho_ made.

"Oops," she whispered.

"That's an understatement," he laughed softly. "Now, shall we go?" he asked, releasing her face from his hands but lifting one hand for her to hold onto to get off the bed. She accepted the help and held onto his hand while getting off her bed. He gestured her to the door and she followed him. After exiting the room, the two of them headed to the exit of the villa. At the door, they ran into Tomita, the caretaker of the villa.

"Tomita-san!" Kaho said in surprise.

"Hino-san," she acknowledged. "Are you going out?"

"Yes," Kaho replied, smiling. "I'm going out with my childhood friend. This is Tsuboshi Arashi." Arashi bowed down.

"It's nice to meet you," he said formally. Tomita smiled at his courteousness.

"It's nice to meet you too, Tsuboshi-san," she said. "I'm Tomita, the housekeeper of this villa."

"Anyways, I'm sorry, but I'll be taking Kaho-chan now," Arashi said formally. "We're in a bit of a rush as you can see," he added, smiling.

"Sure, sure," Tomita laughed. "Go ahead and have fun you two," she encouraged. The two of them left the villa together, laughing alongside each other. As Tomita shut the door close, she heard someone call her from behind.

"Tomita-san."

She turned around and saw a purple-haired boy smiling at her, looking at the door curiously. "Yunoki-san," she breathed. "You surprised me," she laughed.

Yunoki just smiled at her. "Who left the villa?" he asked curiously.

"Eh?" Tomita looked at him. "Oh! Hino-san did," she replied.

"Hino-san did?" Yunoki looked perplexed. "Alone?"

"No, no," Tomita laughed. "She left with a brown-haired boy. His name was Tsuboshi-san."

Yunoki's eyes narrowed subtly. "Tsuboshi-san, is it?" he muttered.

"Yes," Tomita smiled.

"Hmm," Yunoki mumbled. "Thank you very much, Tomita-san, I'll let you see to your work now," he said, smiling. Tomita bowed and left him to go do some chores. A dark smirk formed on Yunoki's lips. "Kahoko," he murmured to himself. "I'm definitely going to punish you for going with another man when you get back."

Outside, Kaho and Arashi had gone quite far away from the villa as they were running a lot; Kaho tried to hit Arashi but he ran away, leading her to run after him. Finally, she stopped chasing him and they were walking in a normal pace once more. Kaho was walking side by side with Arashi, who was laughing about the fact he teased her earlier. She was still sour about it, not liking the fact he kept on teasing her. "Geez, Arashi-kun," she said bitterly. "Am I your personal walking joke or something?"

Suddenly, Arashi pounced on her from the side, making her stumble slightly but she didn't topple over. "My personal and my favourite!" he said cheerfully. "Because it's Kaho-chan, after all," he added more seriously. "I like seeing your angry face; it's cute."

Kaho flushed a dark red on her cheeks at his comment. "W-What's with you?" she mumbled. "Are you a masochist or something?" she eyed him with a disgusted face—playful one, of course.

"Hmm," Arashi mused. "I like your face when you're sad too," he murmured.

"T-Then a sadist?" she stuttered, still embarrassed.

"Maybe I think I like it all—Kaho-chan's expression," he murmured, not releasing her. Instead, he squeezed her tighter and lowered his head and buried it nearby her neck.

"A-All?" Kaho mumbled, her blush more evident now.

"All of them," Arashi murmured again, his warm breath blowing onto her skin as he was so nearby. "Angry, happy, sad, annoyed, confused," he murmured many expressions she made. He continued, making the girl in his arms tenser with each word he spoke. His warm breath seeping past her skin wasn't helping either. When he realised how tense she was, he released her and burst out laughing.

"G-Geez! Arashi-kun!" she complained. "Stop teasing me like that!" Kaho looked like an embarrassed child, pouting and complaining. Arashi couldn't help it; she was much too cute.

"Haha, okay, anyways, we're almost there," he chuckled. "Let's go," he said as he extended a hand for her to take. She took it hesitantly, still angry. Arashi smiled at her, his emerald eyes softening. "You know I'm just fooling around." It wasn't really a question.

"I know," she breathed. Kaho looked away, still slightly angry.

"Oh, oops, I just remembered," Arashi said, alarmed. "I left my guitar in the path in the forest." He looked at Kaho apologetically. "Sorry, Kaho-chan, I'll go get it quickly. Can you wait here?"

"Sure," Kaho said, smiling. "I'll wait here."

"Don't move, okay? I'll be back in a flash," he said winking. He ran towards the forest, leaving her there.

Being given the space, Kaho started to think about Tsukimori who had helped her earlier to get to the villa when her head was spinning. Tsukimori who had questioned her no longer when she was dizzy. Tsukimori who was sharp enough to see that she was having a headache. _Tsukimori who showed that he cared for her._ Kaho flinched at those thoughts, realising that she must've hurt him to a certain extent for not telling him anything even though he was clearly worried about her. She bit her lip in regret to have treated him so bad.

"Kaho-chan, I'm back," Arashi murmured. He was beside her, carrying his beloved guitar in its case which swung around his back. The guitarist grabbed her hand and rubbed it gently. His voice woke her from her trance. "Let's go?" Kaho nodded, smiling. Soon enough, they reached his place.

Arashi's house simple and normal sized. It looked like a house that was fit for about 5 people to live in without cramming them inside. There was a pond at the side which was running normally, water flowing smoothly through. There were lotuses floating on the pond, pink and beautiful. "It's not as big as Fuyuumi-san's house, but its big enough since I'm staying here alone."

"Eh?" Kaho whipped her face to look at the guitarist. "You're staying here alone?"

"Yeah," Arashi said, grinning. "My parents lent me this vacation place for a while before the term starts. I'll be going back about two weeks before the term starts to search for a school I want to attend to though. I'll be studying in Japan this term." The guitarist's gaze drifted to face the house. "My parents are staying in England still, during the holidays," he murmured. "They sent me over here first so I could recollect myself and remember Japan a little. I didn't really think much of it. But then I got to bump into you." He looked at Kaho with his emerald orbs which showed traces of joy in them. "I'm glad I came." His grin spread wide across his face as he squeezed the crimson-haired girl's hand.

Kaho smiled at him. "I'm glad you came too," she mumbled. "With you here, I have someone to rely on." Her gaze turned towards the ground, bitter. "If you weren't here, I—" She shook her head. "—I wouldn't know how I'd be able to hold up for so long without having my memories."

Arashi brought his other hand to lift her chin upwards so he could see her face. "Kaho-chan," he murmured. "Don't worry about it." He smiled and looked at her reassuringly. "We'll definitely find a way out of this mess—_together._" He emphasized the word 'together' to assure her that she wasn't alone. Her shoulders slumped in relief and she looked at him with her liquid golden eyes which shimmered. She looked like she was about to cry.

"But we don't know if we'll be together all the time," she choked. "What if I leave this place first? I've heard that I was only going to be here for a while—for a summer break." Her eyes were moist, her tears almost dropping over the edge. The guitarist put his arms around her waist and squeezed her gently.

"I'll be there," he murmured. "I'll follow you if I have to." Kaho's tears fell over the edge, pouring down onto her cheeks and rolled down to her chin. "I'll protect you." The female violinist squeezed her eyes shut and hugged her childhood friend back.

"Mm!" she mumbled, muffled with a cry. She remained in his warm, slender arms which were around her as if he were a shield, protecting her from all the harm and painful things in the world. She felt safe with him around. She _always _felt safe with him around. It was mysterious, but by having someone she could trust, it was like all her worries just dissolved into the background, leaving her alone. All that was left was her and him, standing together, with him supporting her.

The clouds were grey; rain started to drizzle onto their heads, wetting them, water seeping through their hair. When Kaho had calmed down, Arashi murmured into her ear. "Kaho-chan, I think it's about time we get inside." They were both soaked now and it was much wise to get inside before they got a cold.

"Yeah," she mumbled. Arashi guided her into his house, wrapping one hand around her waist, ushering her to hurry. When they entered the house, Arashi turned on the lights and lead his childhood friend to the living room. His living room was normal-sized, placed with modern furniture inside. The floor was carpeted with smooth, white material and the walls were painted cream. In the middle of the room there was a glass coffee table and a white sofa beside it. A small distance from the sofa was a black plasma screen television which was placed on top of a white shelf which shone like plastic. The windows were covered with a white curtain which had black maple leaves printed on them. The female violinist stared at the luxurious living room in awe. "Wow," she breathed. "The outside doesn't look like much, but in here…" she trailed off, speechless. Arashi chuckled.

The guitarist guided her to sit on top of the white sofa and placed his guitar at the side of the sofa. "Would you like something warm to drink?" he asked softly. "You must be cold." Kaho shook her head.

"No, I'm not too cold," she mumbled, "but something warm would be nice." She smiled at him.

"Would you like coffee or tea?" he asked her. She pondered over the question for a moment. "I could make hot chocolate if you'd prefer," he offered.

Kaho grinned. "I'll have hot chocolate, please." Arashi ruffled her hair before going to the kitchen.

"Haha, alright," he murmured as he walked away.

When Arashi had left, Kaho got up from the sofa and walked over to the window. She peered through the window, watching the gloomy scene occurring outside. The rain was heavy now and it didn't seem like it was going to stop anytime soon. In fact, it seemed to be like a storm was brewing. She watched it silently, waiting for the storm to come.

----------------------------------------------------------------

_Oh my, this is definitely the longest chapter I've done so far. But it wasn't so exciting because it was mostly about the feelings of others; not Kaho. She was mostly asleep in this chapter. xP But I __**must**__ say, the part with Shimizu was sort of smut, eh? Whoops. I probably went overboard. xD Do tell me if you liked having a little bit of smut in your reviews though. If you do, I'll continue doing more! xD And, and, do tell me if you liked this chapter. THANK YOU! xD _

_**PLEASE REVIEW! xD**_


	16. Storm

_To start it off, heck, it's been a pretty damn long time, if I do say so myself. In fact, I've actually got exams next Tuesday but somehow, I couldn't get this thing of my mind and I _had_ to get it done. And there we go! One chappie done. xO Well, sorry, since it's been real long. I highly doubt I'll be getting much reviews (Boo!Dx) And seeing how much I __**love**__ reviews, it's really going to be a bummer for me. xC Oh well, it WAS my fault after all. Anyways, to those of you who reviewed chapter 15, thankyou loads!_

_**ErzaScarlet14**_

_Haha! Thank you! I'm really glad you liked chapter 15 xD and well, I don't think Azuma will give Arashi punishment, but more like Kahoko, to be honest xP But in any case, I'm glad you liked that chapter and I do hope you'll continue reading!_

_**Kawaii-no-Kitsune**_

_ROFL! Indeed! You're right. The storm brewing _is_ a pun. Glad to know some people get it xD Hahaha! Well, yes, Azuma was always a little… Freaky, I do say. And no, there was no pairing for this fanfic. Well, not yet, at least. I haven't really decided to be honest, I might just do a petition when the time comes xP Thanks for reviewing though!_

_**Kayrabelle**_

_Haha, yeah, probably has gone a little out of border. Although, then again, he really _is_ a mysterious person, so you can never REALLY tell what's going on in his mind, that Shimizu. So I just added some fluff in. xD When Kahoko will recover? Well, err. I wouldn't exactly want to SPOIL that. xP You'll just have to continue reading to find out! _

_**kurankira**_

_Well, to be fair, I don't think many people can believe that Keiichi did that lol xD And please do continue giving long reviews! I love 'em xD_

_**ThinE**_

_Haha mysterious angel indeed! I read your fanfic, violation. xD Yeah, I think you'd probably know what I'm thinking about when I think of Keiichi. He really is such a… Mysterious being. Like, you never really know what's going on in his mind xp Do keep reading my fanfic. I'm still waiting for yours to update! The one with kaho and Tsuchiura! xD_

_**cres-cres**_

_Hmmm… I do wonder what he will think xD Well, I'm afraid that's not in this current chapter but you'll see! xD_

**_And we shall proceed now!_**

**_BUT, before we do, dear readers, please note that "Arashi" also means "Storm" in Japanese. There's sort of a joke in here, so well, heads up for it! XD _**

**_OKAY, now proceeding;_**

**Storm**

The crimson-haired girl sat on the white sofa silently as she stared at the rain outside. The clouds were a dark grey, pouring heavy droplets onto the surface of the earth. The pitter-patter sounds of the rain dropping onto the window and the roof was calming and smooth. The outside was dark, the grey clouds hiding the bright sun.

"Kaho-chan."

The female violinist shifted her gaze to the male brunette who had placed two mugs onto the glass coffee table. He had a white towel wrapped around his neck. He sat down onto the couch and gestured for her to sit with him. She obediently did so. When she sat beside him, he placed a towel onto her hair and ruffled it gently to dry her hair. She silently allowed him to do so as she stared at the mugs. There was one which seemed oddly familiar to her. It was white in colour and had a coloured print of autumn. There were orange-coloured leaves on the trees and in between many rows of trees, there was a stone pathway in the centre. Why did that mug seem so oddly familiar?

"There, it's slightly drier now," Arashi's voice came from beside her as he placed the towel onto her neck instead. She turned away from the mug and gazed at him blankly. He frowned with anxiety when he saw her blank expression. "Kaho-chan, are you okay?" he asked, worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She smiled weakly. "Oh, it seems like there's a _storm_ coming," she mumbled as she gestured to the heavy rain outside.

"Hmm?" Arashi cocked his head to sideways a little. "I'm right here, Kaho-chan," he murmured playfully.

Kaho furrowed her eyebrows, flustered. "I mean a _real _storm." She pouted a little and turned her gaze back to the mug. Arashi chuckled lightly and rubbed her cheek gently with the towel using his fingertips. His emerald eyes softened as he caressed her cheek using the towel. It was as if the towel was wall between his fingertips and her cheek. He smiled a bittersweet smile as he slowly pushed the towel to near her lips. He chuckled dryly to himself and lowered his hand before the towel managed to reach her lips.

The guitarist reached out to his mug—the one with the autumn print—and gulped down the hot chocolate which was inside it. He placed the mug back onto the coffee table and gazed at the female violinist. The female beside him took the other mug which had a maple leaf print on it and sipped at her hot chocolate. She studied the other mug which was placed on the coffee table silently as she sipped her drink slowly.

"Is it good?" the male beside her asked.

She snapped her head towards him as if she was shocked by his voice. Her face grew gentler as she calmed down. "Yeah," she mumbled, smiling. "You're really good at making hot chocolate, Arashi-kun." The guitarist grinned at her and continued to gaze at her with a bittersweet expression.

Kaho soon finished her hot chocolate and placed her mug onto the coffee table as well. She very rarely let her gaze drift away from the mug with the autumn print, always studying it with a curious look plastered onto her face. Finally, she spoke.

"Arashi-kun?"

"Hmm?" he mumbled as he lowered his head and rested it onto Kaho's shoulder. He breathed calmly and shut his eyes peacefully. Kaho tensed up, embarrassed, but calmed down quickly as she had something else that was occupying her mind. "What is it, Kaho-chan?" he murmured.

"That mug…" she mumbled softly. Arashi opened his eyes with a moderate pace and gazed at the mugs.

"Which one?" the guitarist murmured softly.

Kaho hesitated a little before answering. "T-The one with the print of autumn looks sort of familiar." Arashi creased his eyebrows, showing a puzzled face. He stared at the mug, carefully looking at it. His eyes widened with shock.

"Y-You don't remember it?" he asked carefully. Kaho pursed her lips.

"I-It looks familiar," she mumbled.

Arashi's eyes darkened slightly as he lowered his head slightly. "So you don't remember," he breathed. The guitarist bit his bottom lip and remained silent. After a few minutes, he raised his head and looked at her. "I thought you said you remembered things about me?" he murmured softly.

The crimson-haired girl turned her gaze to his. She looked grim. "I-I'm sorry, Arashi-kun," she said quickly. "I-I really thought that I—"

Arashi cut her off by placing his index finger on top of her lips. "Don't worry about it," he murmured. "Maybe you don't remember a few things, it doesn't matter." He looked like he was hesitating to say something.

"Arashi-kun," she mumbled gravely. "I'm sorry," she said. Kaho looked like she was about to cry.

"Shh," the male beside her murmured. "Don't cry, Kaho-chan." He pulled her into a gentle embrace and stroked her hair. Kaho bit her lip, trying not to let out a cry. After she had calmed down, she tugged away from Arashi's embrace to free herself.

She looked at him, hesitating. The guitarist merely gazed at her, puzzled. "I'll try remembering," she proposed. Arashi looked bewildered.

"Is that even possible?" he asked.

"Sometimes it works," she explained. "Sometimes, my memories return when I try think about something" She smiled crookedly at her childhood friend. She pursed her lips and hesitated before she said the next sentence. "But… It can hurt a lot at times," she muttered.

The brunette looked at her and pursed his lips. Indeed, it seemed tempting to try to get her to remember things—especially things about him—but he wasn't sure if it was worth it; she'd be in pain. It hurt him to see her in pain and he didn't want her to be, but still… If she could just remember… Remember the moment about that mug… Heck, he doubted that even if she _hadn't_ lost her memories, she probably wouldn't be able to remember that moment. That's why, if by any chance, she tries to remember it _now… _Arashi sighed.

"I don't want you to hurt yourself," he said cautiously, "but it's up to you if you'd like to try." He inwardly cursed himself for asking her to try just because of his own selfishness. But no matter what, he truly did want her to remember. "It'd be nice if you could remember," he added in a soft whisper. He bit his lips and looked down, cursing himself again, for being such a selfish git.

However, Kaho had heard his whisper and smiled softly at him. She could tell—her sweet, kind childhood friend sincerely didn't want her to get hurt but actually did want her to remember. He seemed to plead guilty for his wants. She sighed, lifted her hand to his cheek and gently stroked it. The brunette lifted his face to look at her, his emerald eyes clearly showing pains of guilt in them. He lifted his hand and placed it on top of hers which was holding his cheek, and squeezed it lightly. "It's alright," Kaho assured him with a sweet smile. "I'll do it."

She shut her eyes and gently tugged away from the guitarist's cheek and leaned on the couch. The female violinist inhaled deeply and exhaled. Then, she remained still and silent as she attempted remembering. The guitarist looked at her anxiously and hoped that she'd be alright.

_Remember,_ she thought to herself. The crimson-haired girl pictured the brunette in her head, as well as the autumn-print mug and thought about it long and with utmost focus. After a minute or so, she could see an image of a classroom. It was filled with what most classrooms would have—a blackboard, the seats and tables for students, etc. Except, there were no students… Then she saw the windows of the classroom, and orange rays of lights streamed into the classroom from them; it must've been evening—the sun was setting. Outside of the windows, she could see orange leaves fluttering in the air, flying towards a similar direction in a sort of dramatic movement, swirling and spinning as they went. It must've been autumn.

Then, she saw a figure standing in front of one of the windows, facing her. It was hard to make out the face, as it was being shadowed from the lights streaming from behind. She could tell that the person was a male—unless of course it was a woman with broad shoulders, a flat chest and was somehow wearing a man's uniform. Kaho then saw that the figure had clear, emerald eyes which were looking at her with both pain and a sense of sincerity. Its gaze was intense and strong, had a sense of determination and a trace of sadness etched into them. The figure had hazel-brown hair…

"Arashi-kun," she heard her own voice saying. It was as if she was in third-person view, except she was still seeing the memory from her body. She seemed to move towards him and her hands lifted up to hand him something. "Here." She had handed him something that was in a cubic box, the size of what seemed to be able to contain the mug she had seen earlier. The box was wrapped with colourful wrapping paper and had a golden ribbon tied around it, with a bow folded on the top. The brunette reached for her hands and gently placed his on hers. It stayed there for a long time, before he gently took the present from her hands and allowed it to rest in his.

Slowly, the brunette's intense gaze drifted away from her eyes and to the present. "This is…" he murmured.

"Your farewell present," the crimson-haired girl had said with a light tone, both a sound of cheerfulness and sadness. Arashi's lips curled into a bittersweet smile. His eyes engulfed themselves in sadness as they watched the present that lay in his hands.

He looked at her again for a brief moment before looking at the present once more. "Thank you," he said quietly. The both of them stood in silence for a while. "Can I," the brunette then spoke, "Can I open it now, if it's alright with you?"

"O-Of course you can!" The crimson-haired girl chirped. Arashi then slowly unwrapped it, gently taking off the ribbon and the tape, making sure that the wrapping paper didn't tear. Once the decorations were gone, he lifted the box and took out the gift—a mug. The mug had a print of an autumn setting. He twirled it around his hands gently and slowly, absorbing all the details of the mug.

"Thanks," he said, his voice filled with a slight bit of confusion. He faced her once again and asked, "Why autumn, though?"

Kaho pursed her lips and hesitantly answered. "Well," she began, "we met during the autumn season in the first year of middle school." Arashi's eyes widened, almost as if he was surprised she remembered that detail of when they met. "You and I were late to school as always," she laughed. "We bumped into each other on our way to school…" Kaho paused for a moment. "I fell on you, remember?"

The brunette chuckled lightly. "Yes, yes I do remember," he murmured, his eyes seeming to recall the moment as well.

"The first thing I saw was your brown hair," Kaho continued, "and I blurted out '_Autumn-coloured hair!'_ as soon as I saw it." She laughed at the memory and continued. "I really was immature and stupid back then."

Arashi's gaze softened as he placed the mug onto one of the desks. "We both were," he murmured. "I then held your hair and shouted the same thing," he chuckled. "Red and brown; figures." They both laughed lightly together at the silly memory they shared. When they both went silent, Arashi lifted his hand and slowly stretched it out towards Kaho's hair and held it in between his fingers, gently stroking it. "Red's a nice colour though," he murmured sweetly.

"So is brown," the crimson-haired girl said softly as she stretched her hand out to pat his hair. They both stared at each other for many long minutes which went by in silence. Arashi then sighed and released her hair.

"We hit it off pretty well, didn't we?" he said with a smile.

"Indeed," she replied softly. "Who knew we were going to become such good friends?" Arashi's face twisted into a sad smile.

"Yeah," he murmured. "Who knew?"

"Friends," Kaho mumbled to herself softly in a sort of bitter tone. She then seemed to clear her throat and spoke again. "Also," she said, raising her voice slightly, "autumn's the time you're leaving to England." Her voice seemed to almost sound like a choke. "That's why it's an autumn-print mug."

"So I see," Arashi mumbled as he stared at the mug for a moment. Then, he turned his gaze towards her again. This time, his eyes were serious. "Hino Kahoko," he said in an extremely polite tone.

"Y-Yes?" she answered, a little surprise and taken aback at his sudden formality.

"I'm really glad you were my friend for the past few years and I think that I'm really lucky to have met you," he said, speaking the words clearly and earnestly. "Each time I've spent with you seemed to have given me bliss, and I really do wish I could stay here," he said, but then paused. "I wish I could say something else too," he mumbled, his confidence clearly fading, his eyes drifted from hers. Then, he looked at her again, his seriousness returning. "I _will _say it to you someday," he assured her. "I'll come back, Kaho-chan, I definitely will." He held her hands and squeezed then gently. "When I do, I have something important to tell you, so please wait for me."

"I will," Kaho choked. The brunette smiled and pulled her into an embrace. The crimson-haired girl stretched out her arms and held his back tightly. "I'll miss you," she mumbled.

"I'll miss you too," the brunette said, tightening his embrace. "So, so much."

Kaho's vision which stared at the windows while in Arashi's embrace seemed to blur and suddenly, the entire view seemed to swirl and twist into a picture of which comprehension didn't exist. The colours seemed to mix and twist into a hole. Kaho felt a massive headache coming on, her head seemed to pound and she could hear a hammering sound. She screamed out in pain but she couldn't hear her own voice. She could merely hear the loud hammering sound in her head and an indescribable pain inflicting on her head. She inhaled and exhaled quickly, trying to make sure that she at least got enough oxygen, but it didn't seem to be helping. Instead, she felt like she was suffocating with the pain which was making her go mad. She tried turning her head around, trying to search for something or someone that could help her, but the swirling images only made the pain worse. So, she tried focusing on her breathing. It helped.

Slowly, the oxygen pumped into her blood stream and the swirling images seemed to come to a halt. The hammering sounds started to fade and the pain in her head started to subside. When her senses started to return to her, she could see Arashi looking down at her with anxious eyes and seemed to be frantic. She could tell that he was yelling something but she couldn't exactly catch what it was. Her body seemed sweaty and she was panting. Arashi held one of her hands tightly while yelling at her. What was he yelling for? Then, she soon heard his voice. "Kaho-chan! Kaho-chan! Kaho-chan! Get a grip! Kaho-chan!" His voice was panicked as he held her in his arms. She was lying down on his lap, her body seemingly tired and limp.

"Arashi-kun," she breathed. The brunette's face seemed to show relief when he saw that she seemed to be breathing and seemed to be able to see him. She tried to slowly get up. Arashi supported her gently.

"Are you okay?" he asked anxiously.

"I'm okay now," she panted. "Sorry for making you worry." Arashi's face twisted in pain.

"I'm so sorry," he said, his voice full of remorse. "I shouldn't have allowed you to remember, I shouldn't have done that to you." Kaho looked at him sadly.

"It's alright, Arashi-kun," she said, holding his face with both her hands as she tried to breathe normally. "I'm okay now." His face still looked to sad, so full of regret and sadness. The female violinist smiled. "I remembered," she said. The guitarist's face lit up for a moment, but then twisted into a face of regret once more.

"I still shouldn't have done that to you," he choked.

"It's alright, I'm fine now," Kaho assured him. Arashi pursed his lips and stared at her for many long minutes.

He rose his hands to her cheeks and wiped them. "You're crying," he said softly.

Kaho gasped and touched her tear-filled eyes with her fingertips. "O-Oh," she mumbled. "I am."

"Why?" he asked as he gently stroked her cheeks, catching the tears as the fell.

"I-I don't know," she admitted, but the tears just kept flowing down, never ending. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "Arashi-kun, you were leaving!" she cried. The brunette's eyes widened as he heard this. "You-you were leaving—it was autumn and I-I—I just…" she sobbed.

The guitarist pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair gently. "Shh, it's alright, Kaho-chan, that was just a memory," he murmured. "I'm back now, I'm right here."

"I-I know," she sobbed. "It's just, I felt really sad, and I thought I would never see you again." Kaho slowed her sobbing, trying to stop herself. "Even though you said you'd definitely come back…" Arashi's eyes widened.

"You really did remember," he said, shocked.

"I told you I would," she said firmly in between her slight hiccups from her cries. Arashi smiled and rested his head on her shoulder.

"So you did," he murmured with a slight chuckle. "Thank you, for remembering," he said.

Kaho smiled. "You're welcome."

Arashi sighed and broke his embrace. "Come, finish your hot chocolate and go take a shower. I'll get you my mom's clothes. You'll get a cold, damp like that." Kaho nodded and obediently gulped down the rest of her hot chocolate. "Here's a towel," Arashi said as he handed her a soft, white bundle. "The bathroom's on your left. I'll leave the clothes for you outside. I'll go take a shower in a different bathroom."

"Thanks, Arashi-kun," she said and entered the bathroom. Kaho locked the door and took of her clothes, smoothing her hair afterwards. She turned on the hot water and allowed the water to pour over her cold skin, making it feel heavenly. As she showered, she allowed her thoughts to engulf her. Her thoughts consisted of three things; her memories, her headaches… And Arashi. She blushed when she thought of him, constantly remembering his kindness. But then she thought about how she hadn't had that memory of Arashi before she thought about it today. Perhaps, she was wrong. She _didn't_ have all her memories of Arashi. At least, not yet. She wasn't entirely sure if she had any feelings for him back then. She had thought that he was just her friend, but after seeing that flashback, could he have meant something more to her? She wasn't sure. Her memories were still incomplete and she really didn't want to try to remember at the moment. Not after what she had just gone through.

Suddenly, she heard a loud thunder clap and the electricity went off. Kaho quickly finished her shower and stumbled awkwardly in the darkness, trying to change. After she'd finished, she quickly got out of the bathroom and looked around. Dim lights streamed from the closed curtain in the living room. "Arashi-kun?" she called as her eyes wandered around the room, searching for him.

"I'm here," his voice came from the stairs which was located beside the kitchen. She turned and looked at him. He was leaning on the stair's railings, staring at her. "The clothes fit?"

"Umm, yeah," she replied, looking down at herself. "It's a little big though," she admitted. Arashi laughed.

"It's the best I've got here, anyways," he said. They both stared at each other for a while. "I think we're going to have to stay here for the night," he said softly. "The storm doesn't seem like it's going to die out soon. And sorry about the electricity, seems like it's tripped."

"It's alright," Kaho replied.

Arashi pursed his lips. "I'll turn it on again when the storm's died."

"Mm," the crimson-haired girl mumbled softly.

"Shall we go upstairs? I think it's best you get some rest," Arashi murmured as he gestured for her to come.

Kaho walked towards him. "Okay," she said. He held out his hand to her and she accepted it, gripping onto it gently. Arashi brought her to the first room on the left.

"This is my room," he said. "You can sleep here; I'll go sleep in my parent's room."

"Can I," Kaho mumbled hesitantly. "Can I sleep with you?" she asked cautiously. She didn't really feel like being alone. She didn't really mean they had to _do _anything. She just really didn't want to be alone at that point.

Arashi seemed a bit shocked, but at the same time slightly flattered. "Really?"

"Mm…" she mumbled softly.

"Sure," he replied, still shocked. "Come," he said as he leaded her to his parent's room. It was hard to see, but since there was light streaming from the curtains, Kaho could make out a queen-sized bed located at the centre of the room. Arashi pulled the duvet over, sat down on the bed and gently patted the other side of the bed. Kaho hesitantly lay down on the bed and stared at the brunette who was sitting beside her.

"Sorry for imposing," she apologised.

Arashi's eyes grew gentle as he gazed at her. "You're not imposing," he murmured softly as he lay down on the bed as well. He stroked her hair and urged her to sleep. "You should get some rest, Kaho-chan," he insisted. "It's been a long day."

"Yeah," she mumbled. She could tell. Her eyelids were starting to droop and her body was begging for sleep. She was exhausted. Arashi pulled her into his arms gently. His warmth made her feel much more comfortable, and somehow the sound of his rhythmic heartbeat seemed calming to her. Soon, she drifted off into a slumber—and so did he.

_LOL, well, awww. xD Aren't they sweet? The reason I named this chapter Storm is because Arashi's name basically means "storm". So it's sort of ironic, since there is a storm in this chapter and well, this chapter is basically meant for him. I'd love to know your opinions on Arashi; not many really gives many comments about him. But personally, I really like him. Partially because he's my own character, but I don't know, what do you guys think? Do you like him as a character? xD Anyways, do review and let me know what you think. DO REMEMBER; Reviews give me motivation! XD_


	17. Bittersweet Emotions

_**Note: I wouldn't mind some criticism as I'd like to be able to get better at writing. Therefore, if any of you readers out there think there's something wrong about my fanfic, please do state it in your reviews!**_

_By gosh! It has been a while now, hasn't it? I haven't updated since the end of May and I'm pretty dang sure you readers must be well fed up of me now. I do apologise. However, have I some good news for you guys. I've decided that I'll try my best to get this most of this fanfic done by December so I think that means frequent updates! Cheers! xD Haha, well, I really am sorry for my late updates but I really am glad there are people who read this fanfic even though it's been going on since 2007! Although, I think I've lost all my old readers. xP Anyways, I shan't keep you guys for too long. _

_Let's now start with the replies for the reviews! xD _

**ErzaScarlet14 – **_Aww, haha, I'm really glad you like Arashi. xD Haha jealous Kahoko/Azuma, eh? xP Well, hmm, I wonder what you'll think when you read this chappie then xD Anyways thanks for reading! _

**Kurankira – **_Haha, I've been told that Arashi does resemble Aoi Kaji. Although, I have to admit, I didn't actually know about Aoi Kaji when I wrote about Arashi. xD Haha! Well, I actually have an idea about the doctor part, but well, I'll try my best to update more frequent and finally get there. Please continue reading this fanfic!_

**jiyu22** – _Worried and jealous? Right you are! Ahah, yeah, well, they do seem similar, I suppose. Although, I really didn't write about Arashi based on Aoi Kaji, though. Didn't even know about Kaji then xP_

**cres-cres** – _Eheh, I'm glad you liked the mug thing. xD I actually put quite a bit of thought into that so… It makes me happy to know that someone appreciates it. Please do continue reading! Cx_

**JasMyr – **_Aww, thankyou! You make me feel flattered. Well, admittedly I would love more reviews as it really keeps me going at writing this fanfic, but heck, I do think that 120 reviews at the moment is still pretty good for me. xD But I absolutely love reviews so the more I get, the more I tend to write. But in any case, thanks for reading, I do hope you continue!_

**ozzyfan97 – **_Haha! Story junkie? Aha, you're really flattering me too much. xD Thanks for reading! Please do continue!_

**Kawaii-no-Kitsune – **_Wow, am I glad having you still around, Kawaii! I actually thought that all my loyal readers would've abandoned me by now as I've been such a slow updater. However, seeing you still reading my stories really does make me feel happy. xD Thanks for reading and I do hope that you'll continue! _

**ViolinCorda – **_Eh, well, fanfics weren't exactly meant to be logical. xD But to be fair, Kanazawa does seem a bit of the joker type, in my opinion. Cx_

**Msdgirl – **_Haha! Yay! Another Arashi fan. xD I'm really glad to have so many people liking Arashi even though he's just a character that I made. LOL, I guess there are quite a few Yunoki-haters too. xD Anyways, do continue reading. Hope you'll enjoy this chappie! _

**Serena07306 – **_No worries! I'll get her with a few more people here and there! XD_

**Zenophobiaz – **_Haha wow, thanks for the really long review! I love long reviews. xD Haha! I was actually thinking of that—you have a good plot bunny. xD But I changed my ideas so… I'm also really glad that you like Arashi. To be honest, I wasn't too sure if people would, considering he's not an original character, but there seem to be a number of readers who do, thankfully! Do continue reading my fanfic! Thanks for reviewing! xD_

**gAm3fr3Akal – **_LOL, thank you, for reviewing all my chappies. xP But anyways, no worries, I shall get somewhere Tsukimori sooner or later. Please do continue reading my fanfic! xD_

**Bittersweet Emotions**

Now where had that woman who had all the reverse-harem in the world go to?

Amou had been searching high and low for that crimson-haired woman and had gotten lost a few times, not surprisingly, in the huge villa that belonged to a small, shy Fuyuumi. With perspiration trickling down her skin, she stopped in the hallway to finally catch a breath. In the piano rooms, in the bedrooms, in the kitchen, in the living room, in the music rooms, in the dining hall, in the basement, in the entrance hall, in the toilets for crying out loud! Amou had searched almost everywhere but there was still no sight of that flashing-coloured hair! There was only one place she hadn't checked and that was the garden. However Amou wasn't going to check there. There was a heavy storm outside and by no chance was Kaho going to be out in _that_ rain, even if she was in a rut or in a weird mood. After all, there was no one _that_ insane. The storm was practically bloody ridiculous!

"A-Amou-senpai?" a small voice called from a mild distance away.

The photographer lifted her gaze and tried to slow down her breathing. A green-haired girl stood in the corner of the hallway watching the photographer with anxiety clearly seen in her eyes. "Amou-senpai, are you alright? D-Did something happen?" Amou found herself unable to suppress a smile at the kind, timid junior who always worried about others.

"I'm fine," Amou assured Fuyuumi. "I'm actually just looking for Hino-san, you see. I've searched practically everywhere but I haven't seen her."

"Eh, Kaho-senpai? But you kind of appear to be a bit more frantic..." Fuyuumi wondered if most people got frantic when looking for someone. Her gaze switched from anxiety to confusion.

Amou scratched the back of her head, wondering what to say. She let out a stifled laugh while trying to figure out an excuse for her frantic searching. It wouldn't exactly be right to tell her timid junior that she was actually going to ask Kaho to spill the beans about who that crimson-headed woman liked most among all the guys. She hardly believed that Fuyuumi would even understand much about a relationship, to be frank. Fuyuumi, despite being quite mature for her age, was pretty immature in other ways; namely with guys. "Umm, well, that is, I actually just wanted to ask her a few questions and I was actually really excited about it," Amou said stiffly.

"Oh," Fuyuumi said. "What kind of questions?" she added with a smile.

"Eh..." Were the only words Amou could squeak out. "Umm..." The photographer ended up stuttering and stumbling for a while before she finally decided that there was not really much point giving an answer. "OH!" She yelled, causing her junior to flinch in shock. "Maybe I should ask other people to keep an eye out for her and tell them to ask her to find me!" she announced with a proud laugh.

"A-Amou-senpai, umm, this may sound a bit rude but..." Fuyuumi paused for a moment before continuing her sentence. "Since you said that you've gone to all the rooms, wouldn't have you already have seen everyone?"

"Well, umm, yes, basically I think I have," Amou said, confused. How was this even the slightest bit rude?

"Umm, wouldn't it have been easier if you had asked then?" Fuyuumi asked.

The photographer froze and looked at her junior. The thought hit her like a lightning strike as her stupidity sunk in deeper into her consciousness. Fuyuumi was right! Why, pray, had Amou not done that in the first place? Perhaps, if she _had_ done so, maybe she would've even found out whether any of them had seen the female-violinist in the first place. "Ugh..." Amou groaned, now fully aware of her foolish actions.

Fuyuumi's eyes widened in shock at her senior's sudden distress and groan. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't think I'd upset you so much," she said, almost in a sad whimper.

Amou sighed and forced a smile. "No, don't worry about it, you're right," she mumbled, feeling much more tired compared to before. "I was a bit silly," she chuckled darkly. "That's all."

"O-Oh," Fuyuumi mumbled, not knowing what to say. The two stood in the hallway, both of them silent. Finally Fuyuumi gathered some courage to break the silence and spoke. "Umm, if it's alright with you, Amou-senpai, I'll help you look for Kaho-senpai," she suggested. "We can take our time too, so that you won't stress yourself out too much." She gave a sweet smile and a reassuring look that made Amou's thoughts about her stupidity start to fade.

Amou grabbed the petite-sized girl into a hug and grinned. "Fuyuumi! You're by far the nicest kouhai ever existed," she yelled. The green-haired girl in her arms blushed at the compliment. Thus, their adventure to find Kaho had begun!

"And?" a guy fiddled with his seating position, his eyes shut and his eyebrows furrowed with slight irritation. "Why exactly are we all gathered here?"

All the residents of the villa were sitting in the large living room big enough to fit 30 people and still have enough space for furniture and what-not's. All the musicians were there, sitting on a stool, couch or sofa, some looking around curiously, some looking a bit irritated. Even the maid Tomita, the gardener, the workers and Kanazawa-sensei were gathered too. And the voice which spoke, belonged to no one other than Tsukimori Len.

"Well, actually, I was going to ask you all a question so I decided it would be easier to round you guys up here and ask you guys altogether now!" Amou said cheerfully.

"Well, we're here, so what is it?" Tsukimori snapped. He wasn't exactly in a very good mood at that moment. He had been one of the first they had called and therefore, they made him wait in the living room for a good 30 minutes before both Amou and Fuyuumi managed to get everyone else in the living room too. Normally, one _would_ get pretty annoyed to waste 30 minutes without having anything to do, however, for Tsukimori, it was a different case. Being so straight-laced, time, as they say, was like gold to him. Time was not to be wasted and he was in general very organised with his time. However, after meeting a certain red-head, he had been a little reckless with time... But that was besides the point. It didn't change the fact he felt pretty irritated to have wasted a good half hour for nothing.

Amou pouted at his attitude. "Geez, calm down, will you?" she said, trying to lighten up the mood. "I've already apologised for making you wait for so long; just bear with me a little here." Her expression immediately changed into a cheerful, lively one once she'd gotten Tsukimori's frustration out of the way. "Well! Now, I've actually wanted to ask you guys whether you've seen Hino-san recently or not. I haven't been able to find her at all during this storm."

"Oh, if it's Hino-san then—" Tomita began in a calm voice but was then interrupted.

"_Eh?_ T-Then where is Kaho-chan now?" Hihara practically yelled as he jumped onto his feet from the couch.

"That's precisely what I've wanted to ask you all," Amou declared.

"Haven't you been around the entire villa? If you haven't found her, I doubt any of us would have seen her," Tsuchiura said. He had no malice intended, though. He was merely stating a fact.

Amou pondered over that thought for a moment. "I suppose so, but I guess it doesn't hurt to ask people about it..."

"This is a little overboard, though, Amou," Kanazawa said with a sigh.

"But Kaho-chan is missing!" Hihara said quickly. "Shouldn't we go find her?"

"Mm," Shimizu agreed, his voice slightly more alert compared to usual. "Something could've happened to Kaho-senpai."

Tomita then raised her voice a little. "Don't panic now, Hino-san should be fine," she spoke louder this time, her voice clear.

"Tomita-san, what do you mean by that?" Fuyuumi asked. Everyone's attention was directed at Tomita now, except for Yunoki who was merely listening with his eyes shut.

The elder lady just smiled with no worries. "She went out with her friend earlier before the storm; they're probably taking shelter right now." She raised her finger to her chin and pondered for a moment. "What was his name? Tsubasa-san? No, that's not right. Tsubame? Tsu-Tsu..."

"Eh? She left with Tsuboshi-san?" Amou asked.

"Ah! Yes," Tomita said, smiling. "That's what it was—Tsuboshi-san."

"But where would they take shelter at?" Hihara asked. "It's already night time!"

"Hmm, I'm not too sure, but don't worry, I'm sure they're safe," Tomita assured him.

"Yeah, yeah, you kids worry about everything," Kanazawa sighed and got up from his seat. "Anyways they should be back by morning so don't worry about it too much. Go get some dinner and rest a little." With that, he then left the living room, followed by irritated workers of the villa whose time had been wasted. Tomita left, too, except she wasn't exactly annoyed.

Yunoki's eyelids opened, revealing an unreadable gaze. "If you don't mind, I'll excuse myself right now, too," he said and added a small smile. The flutist then left the living room. Everyone watched him silently as he left and when he closed the door behind him, Hihara then spoke.

"I wonder if Yunoki is okay…" he mumbled with concern for his best friend. "He seemed a bit off since just now."

"Maybe he's just tired?" Tsuchiura said, scratching the back of his head.

"Maybe…" Hihara mumbled, unsure.

Amou grinned silently to herself. "Maybe," she said with a clear smile on her face, "he's jealous?" Hihara looked at her, bewildered.

"Jealous? Of what?" he asked, still confused.

"Hehe, Hino-san and Tsuboshi-san, of course!" Amou declared with a wide grin spread on her face. Everyone looked at her, dumbstruck. The room was filled with silence. No one budged.

Hihara Kazuki, was out of all of them, the most shocked. His normally cheerful grin was completely wiped off his face, replaced with a hanging mouth. Blood drew from his face and he felt his skin get cold. He started to pale and perspiration trickled down his spine as he tried to register what the photographer had just said about his best friend. His best friend, Yunoki. The girl he liked, Kaho. Yunoki liking Kaho. His best friend liking the person he liked. His _most treasured _friend liking the girl he _cherished. _

Tsuchiura, who noticed his inner panic, quickly spoke up. "What are you saying, Amou? Yunoki-senpai doesn't even look at anyone specially. He treats all people nicely." Just as Amou was about to protest, he shot her a glare, mentally telling her not to say another word. He then gestured to Hihara and the photographer then understood her insensitivity. She pursed her lips and swallowed her saliva in guilt. She then watched the trumpeter anxiously.

Hihara seemed to have become less tense as he slowly registered what Tsuchiura just said. He sat back down onto his seat stiffly and then came out with a stifled laugh. "Y-Yeah, it's just like Yunoki to think of everyone," he murmured. "H-He doesn't like her, right?"

"What are you talking about, senpai?" Tsuchiura quickly said. "If Yunoki-senpai had someone he liked, I'm sure you'd be the first person to know!" Blood started to evidently flow to Hihara's face now. Its colour was returning.

The trumpeter laughed, slightly cheerful, slightly unsure. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He then smiled at the crowd that was watching him with cautious and anxious eyes. "Yunoki would definitely tell me!" he exclaimed with a grin on his face. "Okay! I'll go play my trumpet now!" Hihara was then gone.

An unexpected question then came from Shimizu. "Is he not jealous? Of Kaho-senpai and Tsuboshi-san together?" he mumbled.

The pianist sighed. "I think that he's forgotten most of that part. He's probably thinking about his best friend liking the girl _he_ likes," Tsuchiura said.

"Hmm…" Shimizu mumbled.

"What's this?" Amou perked up. "Could it be that _you're_ jealous, Shimizu-kun?"

"Yes," he mumbled. The whole room froze, Fuyuumi dropped a pen she was holding and Tsuchiura choked on his tea; all eyes on the cellist. Had they just heard right?

Amou twitched slightly and was just as shocked as everyone else was, but was the first to get out of her momentary motionlessness. "_Really?_" she squeaked out, her eyes glimmering with excitement.

Shimizu mumbled a 'yes' in response and started pondering over something. Amou jumped up from her position and had ran over towards Shimizu, now kneeling before him, waiting for him to say something. The rest just watched silently, also waiting for him to speak. "It's unfair," he mumbled, making Amou's excitement increase tenfold.

"It is, isn't it?" she squealed. "Then—Shimizu-kun, could it mean, that you—about Hino-san—?" Just before Amou managed to finish her question, Shimizu mumbled a few words.

"Tsuboshi-san gets to listen to Kaho-senpai play the violin all night, doesn't he?" he asked in a slur. "It's unfair," his slur started to becoming stronger, making the words coming out of his mouth harder to comprehend. "I want to be able to listen to the violin for a whole night…" he trailed off and fell asleep on the couch.

The rest of the crowd in the living room stared at him, not knowing what to say. _That_; had not been an act of a confession of feelings towards Kaho. _That—_had been a declaration by the cellist that he'd wanted to hear the violin by his favourite senpai for a whole night. Dear god, did Shimizu _really_ think that when a guy and girl got together, they'd just be playing music for each other all night long? Tsuchiura let out a sigh of both relief and tiredness. Amou, on the other hand, was filled with nothing but disappointment. She wasn't going to get a scoop tonight, it seemed. She sighed and scratched the back of her head.

"Well, that sucks," she sighed. "Oh well, I guess I'll just go to my room for tonight. See you all tomorrow!" Fuyuumi followed her and only Tsuchiura, Tsukimori and a sleeping Shimizu were in the living room now.

Tsuchiura sighed again. He couldn't remember how many times he'd done so that night but it really seemed to be tiring him out and all he wanted now was to get to bed and forget about these ridiculous circumstances. First, Amou starts pestering almost everyone and tells them to wait in the living room for god knows how long. Second, he then found out that Kaho was with no one other that Tsuboshi, and he had no idea where they were or what they were doing. He didn't even know if she was safe! Thirdly, with the presence of Amou, his stamina seemed to have been drained and he was now dead tired—mentally. He then decided that he'd go to bed in his room after he had dinner. He then looked at Shimizu and sighed again. "I'll take him to his room," he said with a voice that evidently showed that he was tired. He then picked up the tiny boy's body and hung it over his back.

"That would be for the best," Tsukimori then said. Tsuchiura wasn't actually expecting the male violinist to actually say anything, but it felt a little pleasant that he was, for once.

"Yeah, well, see you tomorrow," the pianist mumbled, trying to be civil. Tsukimori merely nodded in response. The green-haired pianist then left the room, with the cellist sleeping on his back.

Tsukimori was then all alone in the living room. It was a wonder that he was the last to leave but somehow, he hadn't the energy to be really picky about time anymore. He lifted his hands and then only did he realise that his fists were clenched tightly into a ball. He released the tension in his muscles and stared at his hands in silence. The male violinist sighed softly to himself and got up from his seat at a pace slower compared to normal. He clenched his fists again and unclenched them. He stood in silence, allowing suffocating feeling in his chest engulf him. He couldn't comprehend what these feelings were; why was he feeling so odd in the first place? Tsukimori then exited the living room and soon enough, he exited the villa.

A figure sat beside a window, watching the storm outside with an unreadable expression. He was alone in his room, wearing his robe which loosely hung on his body. His long, purple hair pulled silkily down below his shoulders and he was leaning against the back of his chair. He was thinking of a few things that made his blood boil and his rage hard to control. Amou was right—he _was_ jealous. Who wouldn't, really? Having the person he had feelings for go with another guy. _Spend a night_ with another guy.

Yunoki cursed the storm for coming at such an inappropriate time. To make matters worse, it just didn't want to let up at all. He didn't exactly think that Kaho would actually do anything lewd but she was so unguarded all the time with her dense consciousness. Although even Yunoki wasn't so sure if Arashi _did _like Kaho or not—heck, he could be playing with her for all he knew—but with a girl so unguarded, he didn't know what could occur between the two of them. Surely Arashi wanted to live, didn't he? However Yunoki wasn't able to leave a threat with the boy even if he wanted to so Arashi wouldn't know what rage would be coming if he misbehaved.

_Knock! Knock!_

Yunoki flinched and looked at the door, shocked. He quickly regained his composure and he calmed himself to make sure his perfect mask was on. "Come in," he murmured clearly, loud enough for the person outside of the room to hear.

The door then opened and a lean—yet slightly muscular—figure entered the room. Yunoki found it hard not to recognise the shade of green hair that was fluffed up and messy as always. He was about to chuckle until he saw his friend's sombre face. Yunoki instantly became serious. "What's wrong, Hihara?"

Hihara just stood there and strained a smile at his best friend. "Nothing's wrong," he mumbled. Yunoki's eyes went a little slit for a while, watching Hihara but then he shut them and sighed.

"Why don't you have a seat?" he asked politely and gestured towards his bed. Hihara obliged and sat on the edge of the bed, still more quiet compared to usual.

"Are you okay?" Hihara said. He hung his head, letting his bangs fall onto his face, making his eyes not visible to anyone.

"Huh?" Yunoki was a little confused. Why would he not be okay? Then he realised that his best friend was worried because he was acting a little off earlier. His expression softened and he smiled lightly. "I'm fine, Hihara, don't worry." He pursed his lips and tried to extinguish his anger from his earlier irritation. "I'm just a little tired today."

Hihara's gaze returned Yunoki's by jerking his head upwards. "Really?" he asked, his eyes showing anxiety.

"Yes," Yunoki replied with a warm smile.

The trumpeter laughed lightly and smiled as well. "That's good," he said in relief. Yunoki's smile faded as he watched Hihara, knowing that there was still something else. He decided he wouldn't push it; that he'd wait till Hihara told him what it was on his mind.

Hihara looked away from his best friend and stared at the bed located on the other side of the room. He pondered over his thoughts, thinking. Yunoki waited patiently in silence, waiting for the green-haired boy to get his thoughts together. Yunoki waited for a long while, staring at him, watching his expressions change on and off. He then averted his gaze to the storm and watched the cold, strong drops of water stream heavily onto the earth's crust. The trees were swaying out in the storm, being pushed by the strong winds, making them look as if they were dancing in different directions, forming a unique formation. The dark clouds hovered over the skies, not allowing a single shot of light through, making the skies seem greyish-black. Yunoki watched the unpleasant scenery, the rage of the storm reminding him of the rage he carried in his chest. The anger was starting to form again and Yunoki tried his best to suppress it.

"Yunoki," Hihara spoke with a soft tone, somehow sad, lonely, yet at the same time firm. Yunoki jerked his gaze towards Hihara, the shock of hearing his friend's sudden voice overpowering the rage inside of him. "Since I'm your best friend, I kind of don't want to beat around the bush." Hihara looked at Yunoki once more, his gold eyes full of determination with a hint of sadness and anxiety. "D-Do—Yunoki, do you like Kaho-chan?" he said with strong eyes.

Yunoki was taken aback. His eyes widened and he stared at his best friend, shocked at the sudden question. Albeit slow, he managed to regain his composure and smiled. "Not at all," he lied, "what made you think of such a thing?"

Hihara's eyes were still strong but he furrowed his eyebrows a little. "It's just, Amou mentioned that you might've been jealous earlier…" he trailed off but continued looking at Yunoki.

Yunoki, trained to have a calm expression at all times, did not back down nor did he feel intimidated by the trumpeter's forwardness. _Amou, eh?_ He thought._ That stupid reporter, why the hell did she say something like that to Hihara even though she knows he has strong feelings towards Kahoko? Must be nice to be so stupid and not having to clean up after your mess. Just let others do it for you, then. _Yunoki mentally cursed Amou. "That's just childish," Yunoki said, masking his feelings by showing Hihara that he was completely unaffected by the question. "Don't you think I would've told you if I liked someone?"

"You wouldn't," Hihara declared, shocking Yunoki. "If you liked Kaho-chan, I don't think you would." Hihara bit his bottom lip. "Because you know that I like her too." Yunoki looked at him, still shocked. He didn't know what to say. The trumpeter averted his gaze, the strength in them changing into sadness and loneliness. "Sometimes," Hihara began again. "Sometimes I have the feeling that you're hiding something from me, Yunoki."

The flutist stared at his best friend in shock. Guilt weighed down his chest as he head Hihara speak, knowing that all the trumpeter had said was true. Yunoki felt a lump in his throat and he found it hard to breath. Since when had lying to someone become so difficult? He should just shrug it off and tell Hihara that it was nothing. That Hihara was just imagining things. However, he just couldn't. The guilt inside of Yunoki stirred and made him feel uncomfortable. He didn't want to lie to Hihara anymore. Not anymore… "Everyone has their own secrets, Hihara," he finally said, using all the strength he had to make himself sound calm.

"Yeah! But friends tell each other secrets!" Hihara exclaimed, a bit offended.

"Even you didn't tell me that you liked Hino-san," Yunoki snapped. The moment he said it, he instantly regretted it and he brought his hand to his mouth, shocked that he had just lost his temper.

Hihara's eyes widened, surprised that his friend had snapped. That was the first time that had ever happened. Hihara stayed silent for a moment and stared at the ground. "I know," he mumbled. "And I'm sorry, Yunoki." The trumpeter pursed his lips as watched his best friend with sad eyes. "I should've told you—you didn't deserve to find out during Truth or Dare. I just—I… I couldn't bring myself to." Hihara strengthened his gaze again and brought it up to level with Yunoki's. "I'm really sorry. It's just, I think that as friends, we should be able to tell each other everything. I mean, I really feel like there's a wall between us at times."

Yunoki softened his gaze and mentally sighed. He gave up. There was no chance that he could keep this up anymore. Not to Hihara, anyways. The flutist paused for a moment before he spoke. "I understand," he murmured. "It's true, that I've been keeping many things from you, Hihara," he confessed with a regretful voice. "But you're right; as best friends, we should be able to tell each other things." He made his face serious before he said the next sentence. "I'll reveal my true colours to you, Hihara, and I won't blame you if you don't accept it. But give me some time and I'll definitely show it to you. No more secrets." That was it. Even if it meant showing Hihara his true nature—his dark side—he'd do it. He cared about Hihara as a friend way too much to be able to continue lying to him.

Hihara's face brightened up at his best friend. "Yeah!" he agreed, cheerful once more. "Great, Yunoki!" he cheered, his usual grin plastered onto his face. "I'll tell you everything too." The trumpeter then paused for a moment and pondered over something before grinning again. "Don't worry, Yunoki, I'll accept you for whoever you are!" His grin widened. "After all, we're best friends!"

Yunoki looked at him with a surprised expression. He didn't think that his best friend's emotions would change so much with just that. Seeing Hihara's cheerful expression made him feel that it was really alright to show Hihara his true nature. The purple-haired guy smiled so sincerely—he was truly happy. "Thank you, Kazuki," Yunoki murmured.

Hihara laughed. "Don't thank me—I'm just so happy that we're becoming closer friends," he said joyfully. Then he paused, realizing that Yunoki had just called him by his first name. "Eh? Kazuki?" he asked.

The flutist merely smiled. "I think that it's about time we call each other by our first names," he said. "After all, no more walls between us, right?"

"Yeah!" Hihara smiled, feeling extraordinarily happy. "Oh umm, but…" Hihara's cheerful smile disappeared from his face. "Do you… Actually like Kaho-chan, Yunoki—ah, I mean, Azuma?"

Yunoki paused for a moment before replying. "Not at all." He smiled at Hihara, still happy.

Hihara sighed with relief and grinned. "That's good," he mumbled. "I thought I might have to compete with you for her." Yunoki laughed.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you can get her, just be more confident," Yunoki murmured, smiling. Hihara flushed bright red, embarrassed.

"N-No, I-I-I can't get Kaho-chan that-eh, easily, I mean—umm…" Hihara stuttered, trying to hide his embarrassed feelings. The two best friends then laughed together and started talking about many things. When midnight came, Hihara then left to his room to sleep and Yunoki lay in his bed, thinking about things.

The flutist felt very happy from the bottom of his core about the fact he was able to finally show Hihara his true self. Hihara _was_ his best friend, after all, and he had never really felt that good about having to hide things from him. Yunoki smiled to himself, a graceful expression showing on his face. This was good. It made him feel so much better compared to normal. Maybe, perhaps slowly, he'd be able to show others his true side, starting off with his best friend. Then again, the only one who was able to actually make him have the strength to reveal himself was first of all, no one other than Hino Kahoko. He had lied to his best friend about not liking Kaho. It was then and there, did he decide not to ever tell his friend about his feelings about Kaho. That, would be the one and only secret he decided to keep from Hihara. _The only one._ Even though it hurt and was painful, Yunoki made it clear to himself that he was once and for all, for the sake of Hihara Kazuki, going to abolish his feelings for the only girl he ever had—Hino Kahoko.

_As some of you may have noticed, I changed a bit of my writing style when writing about Amou's view on things as I figured she had to have a little more light writing filled with humour here and there. Anyways…_

_Heh, well, that's about it this time! No worries, I shall update soon—no, really. Don't look at me like that, I'm being serious this time! Dx I'll try get it done in about a fortnight so don't give up on me just yet! xP Anyways, please do leave a review and if there are a few things that I need to fix, eg. My writing styles or something. I'd like criticism for myself to improve. I NEED REVIEWS TOO! xD They're like—my FOOD. Without reviews, I will die of starvation and shall never be able to write anymore! Dx So please, go click on the review button. GO! xD _

_P/s: Next chapter, I shall return to write about Kahoko. xD_


	18. The Last Goodbye

_By gosh! Is this __**me**__ who is updating so early? I do believe this is one of those rare moments where I have the motivation to write! Well, despite getting a poor amount of reviews for chapter 17, that is. I only got 3, mind you, and it was rather depressing but then again, what was I expecting? I hadn't updated in quite a long time for chapter 17 and perhaps some of my readers have come to hate me. xC I do apologise if that really is the case. Anyways, here is the 18__th__ chapter and I've sort of done a few hinting here and there on who she _might _end up with. So, do your detective skills on guessing for I shan't tell you! xD _

_I hope you enjoy this chapter. DO. LEAVE. A. REVIEW. Or I shall definitely make this the crappiest story ever. xD HEEHEE. Okay, maybe not but ANYWAYS…_

_Okay, now time for review replies! Even though there are only three. ._._

**p0p-ViRg097**_**-**__ Haha, thank you! Yes, indeed, I have returned and thanks for reviewing. xD I hope you enjoy reading and that you'll continue doing so._

**Kawaii-no-Kitsune – I**_ have to be honest with you, Kawaii, I didn't think you'd still be reading here! Although I do have to admit that I really _am_ flattered and happy that you are! Thank you so much for reading this chapter. xD Haha, well there's a bit of a hint here and there of who Kaho is going to end up with in this chapter. Depends whether you can spot it or not. xP Anyways, thanks for reviewing! _

**Sakura125**_ – Aww, thank you! Well, here's the next chapter that you've been looking forward to! xD Although, I'm not too sure about the best fanfic, I'm sure you'll find others that are much better than mine sometime later. Anyways, I really am flattered at your compliments. Thank you. Do enjoy this chapter and I hope that you'll continue reading this fic!_

**The Last Goodbye**

Kaho's eyelids twitched and her eyebrows furrowed slightly before lifting, revealing a pair of clear, golden eyes. She could smell the faint smell of shampoo and another odor, one of which she couldn't quite place her mind on what it was. She shrugged it off and rubbed her eyes sleepily, still groggy. She shut her eyes once again and allowed her body to relax on the soft bed. Kaho felt nice, warm and comfortable. If she didn't need to get up, she figured she'd stay in bed for as long she could. She snuggled herself closer towards the warmth she felt and found the odor she smelt earlier becoming stronger. It smelt sweet but at the same time somehow refreshing. Whatever it was, it smelt really good.

The female violinist then opened her eyes to take a look at what it was that smelt so good and found her staring at a wrinkled white shirt covering a lean body which was slightly less broad compared to most guys but could never be doubted for a female's body. Kaho, still blur towards her situation, found herself staring at the wrinkled, white button-up shirt in front of her. She then looked downwards at her own body, finding herself in a silky white night gown which only pulled down halfway to her thighs. She wondered why she had worn it but decided to shrug it off again, as she was much too tired. After a while, she tilted her head upwards and gazed upon a heavenly looking face. The boy's face had creamy, soft skin which was slightly fairer compared to hers. He had a sharp jaw line and a perfect shaped nose. All in all, he was undoubtedly good-looking.

She then took a glimpse of his hair and watched its odd colour shine in the rays of the sun which was peeking through the slightly parted curtains. The colour of the boy's hair was a complete contrast to hers. Like black and white, yellow and purple… Red and blue. It was the first time—or at least the first from which she could remember—that she had met someone with such an odd-coloured hair. The blue coloured hair spilled onto the pillow the head was on, almost as if a colour was splashed onto a canvas. Contrasting but at the same time miraculously beautiful.

Being too distracted by the boy's features, she had not still realized that, she was in fact in the boy's arms on the bed. It took her a while to realise such a thing as she was much too groggy and blur. When she did, however, she couldn't believe her eyes and ended up biting her lip to make sure that she wasn't dreaming. She accidentally bit too hard until a small amount of blood flowed into her mouth and she could taste the salty, iron flavor in her mouth. She wasn't dreaming. Kaho immediately felt her body heating up and blood rushing quickly to her cheeks. She felt herself starting to sweat in a panic and her heart beating much faster compared to normal. She was in bed with _Tsukimori._ She was in bed in a _night gown _with _Tsukimori. Tsukimori _was _hugging her_ in bed while she was in a _night gown._ The information was too much for her to process. She felt like she was about to explode in embarrassment. Kaho was about to pull herself away, startled at the situation, but she then found herself struck with a headache.

This time, the pain came almost instantly with no warning and unexpectedly. She jolted upwards in shock and held her head with her fingers. She felt the hammering begin again, much stronger than it was before—much more painful than before. She felt as if the inside of her head was starting to feel a little hot and uncomfortable, as if the nerve impulses had accumulated at a part of her brain and just staying there. Her vision started to spin and sway and she felt nauseous as the hammering continued to cause her pain. She could hear the ringing sounds again and after a while she could hear nothing but it. The ringing sounds only contributed to her headache, making her mind less easy to focus. The pain was almost unbearable. Kaho tried her best to focus on breathing like she did last time and clumsily curled herself into a ball and started to hyperventilate to get enough oxygen. She clutched her head in between her knees and stayed there for a while.

Finally, the pain subsided and Kaho managed to regain control of her body again. It was only after the pain subsided did she realise that she was panting and that warm droplets were flowing out from her eyes—the pain was too unbearable that she had started crying unconsciously. She remained in her position for a few minutes before finally removing her head from in between her knees. She looked around for a moment, almost as if searching for refuge from her worst nightmares and pains. She then turned towards the other side of the bed as if searching for the figure lying there to help her.

To her surprise, there was no one there. The bed sheets on the other side of the bed was definitely used and untidy, however there was no figure—no person—there. Kaho stared at the empty bed for a while, not knowing what was going on. Kaho then jerked her head to look at her attire; she was in large, baggy clothes instead of a white, silky night gown. She then wondered whether she had been dreaming the entire time. She licked her lips just to be sure. They still tasted of blood. She _wasn't_ dreaming just now. She then sighed and pulled her hair back with her hands and massaged her temples. She felt her perspiration on her forehead as she massaged her temples. The droplets of perspiration trickled down her skin as she tried to sort out what was going on in her head.

The crimson-haired girl then sat on the bed alone, in silence. She thought about the things that have occurred to her in the past week and tried to relate it with what had just happened. She soon had a conclusion; it was all an illusion.

She had had seen illusions last time when she was in the bath tub and everyone had confirmed that no one was there when she was in the bathroom even though Kaho could've sworn she had seen a figure laughing maniacally at her. The thought terrified her; it was as if she was going insane, seeing such weird things like that. The figure laughing at her pain had also terrified her. She had felt shivers to her bone that time and it turned out to be all just an illusion. The female violinist then found herself crying silently to herself, afraid that she was losing her sanity. Having such painful and frequent headaches wasn't normal and seeing illusions were far from it too. Kaho felt fear accumulating inside her; she was much too afraid that she was going mental. She didn't want that. But was she really losing her mind? She didn't know. And she definitely didn't have the answer.

Kaho flinched when she heard a sudden knock come from the door. She didn't do anything, forgetting all the general reactions one would normally use when handling a certain situation. She just sat there, frozen in fear, not answering the door. After a long pause, the door was then opened silently, almost as if to make sure the person opening it wasn't going to disturb her or anything. A head popped through the door, its brown hair swaying as the head moved slightly. A pair of emerald green eyes than searched the room before they stopped on her, at first with a hint of shock and excitement but the emotions all transformed into anxiety after.

"Kaho-chan," the voice murmured as the guy opened the door wider and walked towards the petite, frail body of the crimson-haired girl who had her thin arms clutching her knees. She just sat there, unmoving. Her golden eyes followed his movement which was slowly advancing towards her. The lean body of the boy sat on the edge of the bed next to her. Kaho looked at him directly and for a moment, they were just staring at each other, the emerald green and clear gold not moving away from each other. Their faces were about 20 centimeters away from each other on the same level. Eventually, Arashi moved and wrapped his arms around the small, petite body, almost as if to protect her. "Are you okay?"

The crimson-haired girl mentally debated with herself whether or not she should tell Arashi about what had just happened. She knew that he wasn't one to shut her out. After all, he had completely accepted that she had lost her memories and he didn't really mind about the fact she practically _hadn't_ regained all her memories of him. She knew that if anything, Arashi would just be anxious and probably demand her to seek for help, even if it meant losing all her friends—yet she had an odd feeling he'd tell her that her friends would still be there for her, but she didn't want to chance it. But then, Kaho somehow didn't want to tell Arashi about what she had just seen—or well, seen as an illusion, per say. She found herself not wanting to say that she had just had an illusion about Tsukimori and her in bed—and he was hugging her, nonetheless. As much as it was weird that the illusion she saw didn't displease her—if anything, she almost found herself thinking it was nice—Kaho found herself feel uncomfortable telling Arashi that. She didn't want to. And she decided that she wasn't going to.

"Yeah," she mumbled after a long pause. "I was just feeling a little upset about the things that have happened to me." She pursed her lips, remembering the emptiness she felt when she realized that she was alone after her illusions. "And a bit lonely," she then added.

Arashi tightened his grip around her and starting rubbing her back lightly. "Don't worry about it, we'll get through this somehow," he murmured softly, his voice soothing and assuring. "You don't have to be lonely, Kaho-chan, I'm here for you." He then chuckled softly and added, "Besides, I was only gone for a while, you know? I went to make breakfast."

Kaho blushed and pouted slightly. "Oh," was all she managed to say.

Arashi grinned playfully at her reaction. "Did you want me to be here when you woke up?" he teased.

Those words instantly reminded Kaho that she had actually _slept_ in the same bed with Arashi last night. She was rather shaken up last night and she wasn't exactly thinking properly. She had just not wanted to be alone and that drove her to boldly ask Arashi if she could sleep with him. Arashi was sweet enough to let her and had even hugged her to sleep to calm her down. She realized that her childhood friend was really kind to her for allowing such a thing but now that she was thinking properly, she found the situation _really_ embarrassing. Kaho's face flared up into a bright red, her temperature increasing with her embarrassment. Her eyes started turning a shade of red and she looked completely red, especially with those red locks on her head. "I-I didn't mean it like that," she stuttered, not knowing how to react.

Kaho's heart starting beating at a faster pace, her skin suddenly felt almost sensitive and she could feel it tingling at every spot Arashi's arms were touching even though she had baggy clothes covering her. She could feel her face heat up and the embarrassment was making her go mad. In normal circumstances, she would've already pulled away from him because of her embarrassment, but somehow she found that she couldn't. She didn't want to hurt his feelings so she remained in his arms, her entire body tingling and her face completely red.

Arashi realised her reaction and found himself getting embarrassed by looking at her. He could tell that she had recalled of the night the shared the day before and was quite flustered about it. They hadn't done anything lewd, but for a high school girl and boy to share a bed together at night was rather unnatural. Her reaction was pleasing for him, but he pulled away gently to allow her to relax.

He watched as her shoulders released its tension and her face becoming less red. Arashi could see that she was slowly turning back to normal but he could also see that there was something that never disappeared even though he wasn't hugging her anymore—she was still flustered. Arashi blushed lightly upon seeing that she was flustered and felt a pleasant sensation tugging at his heart strings.

The both sat in silence, deep in thought and embarrassment. Kaho's blush eventually faded and she managed to calm down a little. However, it seemed like she was unable to do so completely. Her heart was beating at a slightly faster speed than normal and her chest was feeling warm and fuzzy. She wondered if it was because of the heat from summer or something. Or could it have been because of the flashback she had yesterday?

"Kaho-chan," a voice disrupted her thoughts and she turned her gaze towards the direction of which the voice had come from. Her childhood friend was looking at her with a happy smile which was sweet and cheerful. There was another emotion she could sense from his expression but she couldn't exactly put her finger on what it was.

"Y-Yes?" she stuttered slightly, distracted from her thoughts.

The guitarist grinned at her and gestured for her to come with him. "Shall we go get some breakfast?"

The crimson-haired woman smiled at him and nodded. "Let's," she agreed and got up from the bed with a hand from Arashi who had already gotten off. They walked down the stairs together, Kaho behind Arashi, in silence. When they entered the dining room, the female violinist took a seat while her childhood friend went to the kitchen. She asked whether he need a hand but he merely shook his head and told her to wait whilst he went to get the food.

Kaho observed her surroundings while waiting for Arashi to return. The dining table was made of solid wood—perhaps teak, by the looks of it—and was big enough for four people to have a meal on it. There were four wooden chairs, including the one she was sitting on, which had armrests on them and a white, leather cushion attached to the seat. The room was rather open, though. The living room was practically attached to it; it was just beside a few meters away and from the seat she was sitting in, she could spot the white sofa she had sat on the day before.

Beside her, there was an opened window which had the curtains opened—she figured Arashi must've opened it when he went downstairs earlier while she was still asleep. The morning breeze blew though it, bringing in a fresh aroma of grass and sweet-smelling flowers. She could sense the smell of fresh dew in the air and the air that entered her lungs made her sigh with a calm feeling. Through the window, she could see the clear, blue sky—it was much of a contrast compared to the gloomy, grey-clouded one she saw the night before. The light shone over the skies and lit up the scenery, making it look rather tranquil and peaceful. Her crimson hair swung off her shoulders when she turned her head towards the kitchen entrance once she heard footsteps approaching the living room.

The brunette walked towards the dining table and placed the food on top of it. He had made sunny-side-up eggs and chicken sausages with toast. He had brought two plates; each had two eggs, two sausages and one toast. "I hope you don't mind a western breakfast," he grinned as he sat on the seat opposite to her location. "I'm really bad at cooking Japanese food."

Kaho laughed lightly. "Figures," she scoffed. "You're a _British Eurasian_." She rolled her eyes teasingly. "Making Japanese food? Codswallop!"

Arashi laughed at her. "Hey! Don't mock me—Eurasians are pretty good looking, you know?" he winked at her.

Kaho coughed loudly. "Sure they are," she joked sarcastically. They both laughed. "Anyways, shall we?" she asked, gesturing towards the food. Arashi smiled, agreeing, and dug in. Kaho did the same. They both then began eating. To Kaho's surprise, the brunette didn't say anything for a while. She watched him for a moment, wondering what was on his mind.

"Do you…" he finally began, hanging his fork which had a piece of cut sausage on it midway towards his mouth. "Do you really not find me attractive?" he asked almost as if it was a joke but Kaho could tell that he was actually seriously asking. The violinist blushed for a moment, not exactly knowing how to answer. He _was_ undoubtedly good-looking. Heck, back in middle school, loads of girls were after him; even the juniors—from what she remembered at least! He should've known that—he got tons of confessions back then. However, he had never gone out with any of them if she had remembered correctly. Normally, she would probably just shrug it off and just teased him, telling him no. However, somehow she could feel the intense seriousness but she found it embarrassing to tell him the truth. She _was_ attracted to him—or at least, she thought she was.

When Kaho didn't answer, Arashi just paused for a moment before continuing his words. "I think you're attractive," he admitted to her. He found it cute how her face reddened and her golden eyes stared at her in shock after he said those words. He chuckled to himself. She seemed to be speechless. "You're actually quite pretty for an _Asian_, sweetheart," he teased as he placed his elbows on the table and leaned closer towards her.

Kaho stiffened but managed to find her voice. "S-Sweetheart?" she stuttered, embarrassed. "You British people are really not shameful," she insulted playfully. "And what do you mean _Asian_? You're trying to be racist, Arashi-kun?"

"Au contraire, _ma __chérie_, I can't be racist in this case," he said in a polite tone. "For I am part Asian, too," he said with a wink. The both laughed in unison and their conversation continued until they finished eating.

After their meal, Arashi cleared the table and Kaho helped him clean the plates. They joked and laughed together as they cleaned up, talking about their old memories. Some of which Kaho still couldn't remember, but the brunette merely told her about things that had happened and told her not to worry about not remembering those things. He assured her that she would eventually remember and being with him, Kaho found herself feeling calm and unworried about her lost memories.

Once they were done, Arashi then gave Kaho her clothes that she was wearing yesterday back; telling her that he'd already washed them. She thanked him, took a shower and changed. Arashi did the same after she was done so Kaho just waited in the living room watching television. They were both then cleaned up and ready to go. They exited the house together, joking and laughing as usual.

"So," Arashi said, "shall we head back to your friend's villa?"

"Oh, umm, yeah, I guess so," Kaho agreed, smiling.

The brunette chuckled lightly to himself and scratched his head. "They're definitely going to kill me for stealing you away," he said softly to himself.

"Hmm? Did you say something?" Kaho asked, looking confused.

Arashi just grinned at her. "Nothing!" 

The crimson-haired violinist just looked at the boy beside her quizzically but eventually just shrugged it off. They continued talking about unimportant things and added in jokes here and there while they walked to Fuyuumi's villa.

Now what could Amou have been doing on this perfectly gorgeous day? Oh, why, nothing much, really. She was merely taking a stroll outside in the gardens. She had her camera with her and for once, she wasn't taking photos of human beings or trying to get gossips. She was taking photographs of the scenery and the flowers which had dew drops floating on top of them. She was _actually_ doing a job of a normal photographer—a rare sight, as most would say. After all, she wasn't taking photos of people and trying her best to squeeze gossips out of them like she normally did. Heck, that is, unless she miraculously had the power to talk to plants and ask them what kind of people had been doing and had the plant seen them or—dear god, let's not even go there. Ahem, all in all, she _was_ being a normal photographer.

That is, until she saw something that caught her interest. From a distance, she could definitely recognise that crimson-coloured hair. What made the photographer grin was that right beside those crimson locks was a _very_ handsome boy with hazel-brown hair. Amou's curiosity was building up by the second and when they had finally gotten close enough, she raced towards them and greeted them with a cheerful—yet secretly conniving—grin.

"Hey there!" she cheered in a loud voice—she was practically yelling.

The two childhood friends flinched in surprise at her sudden entrance but the brunette's face calmed down and formed a similar grin. "Hey!" he cheered back.

"Hi," Kaho smiled, slightly more civil than the other two.

"God, Hino-san," Amou pouted, "You should at least tell people when you're going to be spending the night elsewhere! I searched everywhere for you last night!"

Kaho looked a bit flustered and she fiddled with her fingers a little. "Sorry," she said with an apologetic smile. "I didn't think there'd be a storm. I figured I'd be back before night time," she admitted.

Amou smiled. "Well, don't worry about it too much." Her gaze then travelled to the lean boy standing next to the violinist. He looked at her with a confused smile and her lips formed a sly grin on them. She wondered if she could squeeze information out of him about what happened between them.

She then looked at Kaho again with a playful—and sly, mind you—grin on her face. "Hey~" she almost sang. "Do you think I could borrow Tsuboshi-san for a moment? I'd just like to ask him a few questions privately," she said with a wink.

Kaho appeared to be confused but she agreed to it. "Umm, yeah sure, I guess," she mumbled and faced the brunette next to her. "You wouldn't mind, would you, Arashi-kun?" she asked. Little did she remember that Amou was a crazy lunatic when it came to gossips so she easily obliged to the photographer's wishes.

"Sure," Arashi said with a smile. With that, Amou hooked her arm in between the brunette's arm and sped off with him.

Kaho just watched in awe at the amazingly fast pace the photographer ran. Soon enough, she couldn't even see them anymore. She giggled lightly to herself and decided she'd walk around the garden a little before she entered the villa. It was, after all, a really nice day. She circled around the very wide gardens, absorbing in the beautiful scenery before her. She turned around a corner to explore the gardens more thoroughly, curious as to what other beautiful plants there were around this gigantic villa. Just as she turned around the corner, she saw a boy standing next to a row of hydrangeas. He seemed to be looking at the flowers and Kaho could've sworn that she saw a grave expression. However, it almost looked like a perfect photo, with the handsome boy who had hair that suited the colour of the hydrangeas. It was mesmerizing and Kaho found herself lost of breath. She stood there, frozen, watching that photogenic boy. Had he not turned around and noticed her, Kaho figured she would've been staring for much longer.

His eyes which met hers widened in surprise and turned into a bittersweet emotion. They soon reverted back to normal as he got back his composure. He cleared his throat and looked around for a moment, making sure no one was watching them. When he realized there wasn't anyone else but them, he smirked at her. "Like what you see?"

Blood rose to Kaho's face, turning her cheeks red. "I..." was all she could let out. The boy smirked again.

"So," he began as he approached her with a creeping pace, "where did you go with Tsuboshi-san last night?"

Kaho watched him warily as he was advancing slowly towards her. "I stayed at his place," she admitted, her eyes still on the boy who was approaching her. "It's quite a pleasant house."

"Just the two of you?" the boy asked accusingly.

"W-We had no choice," she stuttered. The boy was now in front of her, watching her timid expressions. She felt powerless whenever she was next to this guy. It was like everything about him made him much more superior. He was much too good-looking, for one. But somehow, when it was just the two of them, his normally sweet character would transform into a powerful, strong one. The boy held her hair and fiddled with it almost playfully. He twirled her, making her face away from him as he adjusted her hair. He tied it nicely into a cute bun, allowing a few strands of crimson threads to fall gracefully onto her for head. He twirled her once again and smiled. She looked prettier than she needed to be. "T-Thank you?" Kaho mumbled, unsure of what to say, finding his actions rather sudden and... Random. Her hair, being tied into a neat bun, allowed her neck and her skin to be visible to others. The boy allowed his eyes to travel around her bare skin, looking at her neck an. When he did so, his eyes widened in an obvious shock but instantly turned cold and expressionless.

"Kahoko," he murmured; his voice with an edge of menace. The violinist flinched at the dark aura and looked at him, her eyes growing weaker by the second. "This will be the last time."

Kaho's gaze turned questioning. "For... What?" she mumbled confusedly.

Yunoki didn't say anything. Instead, he spun her around swiftly again and lowered his head towards the bun he just made out of her hair. He kissed it allowing his emotions to play on his face for a rare moment. He creased his eyebrows, allowing him to smell her intoxicating scent which was almost addictive for him, for the last time. This would be the last time he'd get this close to her if he had a choice. This would be the last time he would kiss her; would be at such a close proximity to her. It was such a sweet moment, but for him it felt bitter at the same time, knowing that it would be his last. After a few seconds of which he would never forget, he backed away from her.

Kaho spun around, still confused. She hadn't realized that Yunoki had just kissed her. If anything, it just felt like he had pressed something against her bun again and she wondered if he was just adjusting it. The purple-haired boy just stared at her almost coldly, watching. Then, he spoke. "This is last time I will tease you like this, Kahoko," he murmured. "It's about time I've stopped harassing you—probably not a term I would normally use, but in your eyes, that must be what it is." He paused for a moment and his eyes had an edge of anger. "It's a bit disgusting touching someone whose already been claimed by another man," he said with a bitter tone.

The female violinist didn't exactly know what he was talking about but she somehow got the gist of it. "Y-You were teasing me all this time?" she breathed.

"Did you think I was actually serious?" he mocked coldly. _Push her away, Azuma. Just push her away._

"I-I don't know," she admitted, unsure of what to say. She felt rather shocked, really.

Yunoki just smirked, walked up to her and handed her a jacket of which he had been carrying. It was a black, turtle-neck jacket which had white strips at the edges of the collar and sleeves. On the back there was a logo of 'AJ'. "Wear this," he murmured. "Just cover up your neck."

Kaho was still in shock and confused, however, the tone he used made her oblige immediately and she swung the coat over herself. "A-Azuma-senpai," she breathed. Yunoki ignored her and walked away.

"I think it's about time I go inside," he said politely all of a sudden. "I'd suggest you do the same, _Hino-san—_the others must be worried about you; Kazuki too." He continued walking away, not giving a second glance.

"We were never going out?" Kaho blurted out. Her hands instantly covered her mouth after she had said those words and she inwardly cursed herself.

Yunoki, who was walking away, froze. Was she doing this on purpose? Did she literally want him to go mad? Giving up on her was hard enough—it was hurting him badly. Why was she doing this? "Ridiculous," was all he said after a long pause. "Goodbye, Kahoko." With that, he left; feeling like something inside of him was dying. For the first time in all his elementary, middle school and high school days, Yunoki Azuma felt like he could cry.

Kaho just watched him, rather dumbfounded. She should've been offended. She should've been angry and frustrated and infuriated. But she didn't. If anything, she felt a sense of relief in her chest. Perhaps all those moments with him that made her blush was caused of her lust. She hated to admit it, but she _was_ a high school girl going through puberty and she did feel partially lustful towards the gorgeous purple-haired flutist. But when he had just shoved her away, she didn't feel upset or anything. Kaho then realized that even before she lost her memories, she didn't have any special feelings towards the flutist. That was what made her wonder—who _did _she like then? She sighed and decided to shrug it off for now and sat on the grass beneath her. She'd wait until a few moments past before she entered. She didn't particularly feel comfortable seeing the flutist again for now—it felt rather awkward. So she sat there, watching the scenery calmly, allowing the serenity consume her.

A strong gust of wind blew past, making her sneeze at the sudden temperature drop even though it was summer. She felt rather thankful that she had the jacket now even though it was much too big for her tiny body. She stared at the skies for a moment. The blueness made her suddenly think of Tsukimori Len, making her blush. She found herself feeling embarrassed, flustered. She was reminded of her hallucination in the early morning, causing her mind to spin again. Her cheeks grew warm. The crimson-haired girl buried her face in her palms, trying to cool it down. She tried to distract herself with another though. She then thought about Yunoki's behaviour. It suddenly occurred to her that Yunoki had been a little weird earlier. She wondered why he had given her the jacket; it wasn't like she was cold earlier. But he had said something about her neck... She wondered if she had a rash or something. She decided to check it out later when she got back to her room.

Kaho thought it was about time she into the villa so she got up from her position and wiped the grass of her pants. She curled the jacket tighter around her, leaving it unzipped. She then walked along the rows of hydrangeas to get to the entrance of the villa while she hummed a classical piece. What she didn't expect, however, was that she was going to run into someone on her way there. As she turned around the corner, she then saw a boy heading in her direction. They both stopped on their spots when they saw each other and they stared at each other in mild shock. She then smiled at him even though she felt a little embarrassed. After all, she had been thinking of him almost the entire morning and well, that itself was enough to make her flustered.

The boy had a lean yet _slightly_ muscular body which had fair, creamy skin. He had a familiar sharp jaw line and a perfectly shaped nose. He was tall, slim and sort of lanky. He was ravishingly good-looking despite the normally cold expression plastered on his face. And his hair was always that same, odd colour. A colour so beautiful. A colour so refreshing. The colour blue that imitated the skies. Yes, that boy was no other than;

"Tsukimori-kun," she breathed. "Hello."

_Well, that's about it for now. I've updated quite quickly this time, haven't I? xD Praise me, praise me! xD Well, you don't really have to. Giving reviews is really enough to get me going. I don't mind long ones! xD But really, if you don't mind, I would really like it if you'd just leave a few words after reading this fanfic to give me a bit of motivation here and there. Please and thank you! Click on the review button! Do it! xD _


	19. Colds

_Dear me, I do believe I owe you all another apology. It's been a month now. Dx A bit more than that, really. Anyways, I've done this chappy longer than the others. I do hope you'll all enjoy it. I can't really remember if I've replied the reviews so I'm going to reply here anyways. xD BEFORE I DO THAT, however, I have an announcement to make. _

_I've actually got a deviant art account and if any of you readers would like to have a look, please do. Do comment, as well, if you've got the time. xD My drawings aren't that great and I haven't learnt how to use photoshop so they're not coloured but if I could get some support from my readers, that'd be great. _

_Somehow I can't upload the link—it keeps fading off here on fanfic. But if you would just type out;_

**ayachan12.**

_followed by _

**deviantart.**

_Then_

_**com**_

_I think you'll get to my account on deviant. xD_

_Okay, review replies._

_**ViperineVampire – **__I sort of have a feeling I've already replied your review but I can't be too sure so I'll just place a reply again. xD Haha, yes, I have made Kaho a bit weird, but I hope you can understand that she's OOC because she's lost her memory. To be very honest, I wasn't really planning on making her end up with Yunoki. It was more of a flare to the story but anyways, I do hope you'll continue reading this fic. Thanks for the long comment! xD_

_**ozzyfan97 **__– Haha, so am I, but I'm afraid I can't say I updated fast with this one. xC Sorry about that. Thanks for reviewing!_

_**p0p-ViRg097 **__– No, it's alright, I get it. Meaningful words indeed. xD Thanks for reading this fanfic!_

_**jiyu22**__- I did think that scene was going to turn a few heads around. xD Haha, well, actually I'm not too sure about that. There are a few hints here and there but I've gotten down to two boys who may end up with her. Two choices, basically. I might do a poll sometime, though. xD_

_** - **__I'm honoured to have taken your precious study time with this fanfic. xD Although I do hope you managed to do alright with your studies, though. Thanks for reading it!_

_**GreenBubbles **__– Wow, in one go? I certainly am impressed. xD I'm glad you enjoyed it, though. Please do continue reading it and reviewing! _

_**Kawaii-no-Kitsune **__– Yunoki _does_ tend to freak a few people out, truth be told. Although, I've come to like him, in a very twisted way. xD Haha, I did think that a few people would be shocked at the Tsukimori and Kaho in bed scene. xD Thanks for reading, Kawaii. Please do continue. I really do hope you'll be one of the few who'll continue reading till I'm done with this fic. xD_

_**Paigeydoll **__– Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you like Arashi and all. Please do continue reading this fanfic! xD_

_**gAm3fr3Akal **__– LOL, is your heart okay? Dx Please don't die on me here! A new chappie has finally come out, after all! xD Thanks for reviewing! _

_Without further delay, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you... Chapter 19! xD_

_._

_._

**Colds**

"Tsukimori-kun. Hello."

The blue-haired boy broke out of his trance of which he was staring at her and blinked. "Hino," he mumbled, still a little shocked. "You—you came back?"

"Huh?" Kaho looked at him with a blur expression plastered on her face. It was immediately replaced with a look of recognition though. "Oh!" she exclaimed, her face flushing a little. "Yeah… Umm… Just came back about thirty minutes ago," she said. "I-I had to stay a night elsewhere, cause… Umm… You know, the storm and all," she stuttered and shifted her gaze away from his. She felt like she owed him an explanation, somehow, even though she didn't know why.

"I…See…" he mumbled. Kaho looked at him, confused. He seemed a little dazed. Was this really the always-composed-Tsukimori she'd seen for the past few days? "With him?" he added a little bitterly.

Kaho pursed her lips. It wasn't really honorable to sleep one night with a guy who she wasn't related to, she knew. The bitterness in his voice made her feel as if it were an accusation of her doing something disgraceful. It made her feel ashamed. The emotion swept through her, making her feel nervous and guilty. She didn't feel extremely comfortable talking about this with Tsukimori. _Not Tsukimori._ Although, to be frank, she truly didn't know why. It had been alright with Amou. So simple. So honest. It didn't feel like a sin or guilt. It was just a casual thing. But why not with this male violinist in front of her?

"Yes," she eventually mumbled, her head facing the ground. She wondered what sort of face he'd be making. Whether he'd be disgusted, annoyed or even… Upset? She found her chest feeling heavy thinking of upsetting the boy. She didn't want that. At the same time she felt a little afraid of looking at him. She wasn't too sure if she really wanted to see his face. She felt perspiration trickling down her spine, her heart beating faster and a lump forming in her throat. She clenched and unclenched her fists tightly before she finally mustered some courage to look at the blue-haired boy. She lifted her gaze slowly and cautiously, looking at his feet allowing her gaze to travel to his face. Soon enough, her gaze reached it. The crimson-haired hesitantly watched the boy's expression however found hers changing first.

All the anxiety she had built up was washed away with just one look at the handsome face. It wasn't the good looks she saw which made her feel less anxious. And it wasn't like she was feeling rather pleased either. Her anxiety had been replaced a wave of shock caused by the fact that Tsukimori had, in fact, no change of expression at all. His face was merely blank, a bit of perspiration trickling on his pale cheeks and his golden eyes dim.

Kaho's shock then turned into disappointment but back to anxiety again. She mentally cursed herself for feeling disappointed. Such a ridiculous thing to feel at such a time. She stopped talking to herself inwardly and observed the violinist in front of her. Was there something wrong with this boy? He seemed a little… Off. "Tsukimori-kun," she called. "Are you okay?" She edged closer towards him and reached for his hands.

"I-I'm alright," he mumbled, swaying slightly.

The crimson-headed violinist quickly grabbed his hand and his back, supporting him. She flinched upon touching him, feeling the heat from his skin quickly being absorbed into her cold hands. His temperature was abnormal, he really was burning up.

"Tsukimori-kun!" she yelped. "You're…" She quickly put one of her hands on his forehead and checked for his temperature. "Geez! You've got a fever, Tsukimori-kun."

"Fever?" he asked, still a little dazed. He blinked. "N-No, I'm fine," he mumbled. A gust of wind then blew past and his body shivered. Kaho noticed this and quickly unzipped the jacket Yunoki had lent her. She swung it onto Tsukimori's lean body and helped him balance himself.

"Let's get you inside," she insisted. "You'd better rest."

Tsukimori, on the other hand, was trying his best to focus to what she was saying. His head was spinning and his vision was a little blur. His entire body felt warm and he _really_ didn't like that feeling. He watched her face, her lips moving as she spoke to him in an urgent manner but he really couldn't hear what she was saying. His gaze then fell to her neck and he froze, his senses suddenly getting a grip at the shock. There, on her neck, was round, bruise-like colour on her skin. That part of her swollen skin was reddish and purplish. It was, in no doubt, a hickey.

As if his body wasn't heated up enough, he felt his blood start to boil. Tsukimori regained his senses for an instance and swiftly slammed his body against the girl next to him, trapping her between him and the wall. He looked at her, his golden eyes aflame, with anger and a hint of sadness. The girl trapped in his arms gazed at him, shocked, not knowing what was going on. One second, she was trying to get him to the safety and warmth of the indoors and the next, she was trapped between his body and the cold, concrete surface behind her. Dear god, she thought, what the hell was happening?

Alarmed and a bit afraid, Kaho instantly struggled from his arms as, however to no avail did she budge an inch, as his body—lean as it was—was stronger compared to her tiny figure. In the end, she gave up on moving him and stared at him in the eyes, still astonished. She could feel his heated up body pressing down against her colder one, making her absorb the heat being emitted from his. She started sweating. Her heart beating rapidly, she felt a shiver go down her spine as she saw the unconcealed anger in his golden orbs. Although she couldn't remember, she really believed that this was her first time seeing him ever look at her in such a manner.

Albeit slow, the blue-haired boy's expression gradually started to change. The strong-willed anger that was shown in his stony, gold eyes twisted into pain and misery. It turned into a painful longing, an indescribable feeling, and an unjustified hurting. There was so much emotion, so much depth to his normally stone, cold eyes. He appeared to be so hurt and upset. It was as if the barrier he usually created around himself had shattered and he was finally showing his true self, his true emotions to the other violinist squeezed in between his body and the wall. The strength, the ego, the pride—they were all gone. He reached out to her neck, his hot finger tips lightly touching her cold skin of where the bruised circle was marked. The pain in his eyes doubled. He pulled his hand back and released it, allowing it to dangle next to his figure, almost as if it had no energy left to move. His body was starting to heat up even more and his vision was blurring and spinning. He really didn't feel too good—both mentally and physically.

Seeing Tsukimori that way made Kaho's chest clench and a heavy, odd pain almost squeezing her lungs. Her eyes twisted into pained golden orbs as well as she watched him. Forgetting all the fear from earlier, she lifted her hands in a graceful pace, to his depressed, flushed face. Before reaching their destination, Kaho found her hands flying downwards to catch Tsukimori's body which suddenly went limp and slumped down from its position, almost falling onto her legs. "Tsukimori-kun!" she yelled as she tried her best to support the man's body with her tiny, slim figure which wasn't that much stronger than she thought it was.

Using all her might and her strength, she pulled the boy's body upwards and carefully swung one of his hands over her shoulders. She didn't really want to injure his hands, after all, she'd definitely be getting it from him if she'd ever hurt those precious hands which played the violin. Dragging herself on her feet, she did all in her power to drag the unconscious, warm body into the house. "Hold on, Tsukimori-kun," she panted. "We're almost there."

wxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxw

"So did you guys sleep in the same room?" the photographer asked with a mischievous grin.

Arashi blushed lightly, fully aware of the answer to that question and the consequences of unrevealing it to others. He hid his blush by looking elsewhere, pretending as if he was taking a look at the overly exaggerated ornaments in the oddly decorated Japanese-Western mansion. "That's a secret," he said as if it were a joke and gave Amou a little wink.

"No way!" she screamed. "Did you? Didn't you? Oh, you have to tell!" she said persistently and excitedly.

"No can do," he replied, giving another teasing wink with a sly grin.

Amou pouted exaggeratedly. "This is _really_ unfair. Here I thought I could get a scoop and you show up with your 'Oh, I know a lot but I'm not telling you anything' attitude!"

Arashi looked at her almost apologetically but he was set on not telling her such a thing. He knew that Kaho wouldn't be pleased at all, too, if he told the journalist everything she wanted to know. "I'm not biting," he said with a grin. "Forgive me, really."

Amou sighed. "You really are a tough one, you know that?"

"I know." Arashi's carefree grin was infectious and the photographer soon found herself grinning too, despite her frustration of not being able to get a good gossip. They were going up the stairs when they suddenly heard a velvet-like voice talking in a calming tone.

"He'll be alright; he's only gotten a fever. You need not panic, Kazuki." The photographer and guitarist saw an elegant-looking man talking to a shaken green-haired trumpeter from about 3 metres away. Arashi and Amou listened intently, curious as to what the two friends were conversing about.

"Yeah, but! Did you see him Yu—oh err, I meant Azuma... But yeah! Didn't you see him? I've never seen him _ever_ look that way. He's always been so... Healthy-looking." Yunoki raise an eyebrow at his best friend with a questioning look. "O-Oh, okay, maybe not exactly _healthy_... He is a bit pale and all but still!" The flustered trumpeter slapped himself on his forehead. "Way to go, Kazuki, now you're insulting your friend."

"_Calm down,_ Kazuki," Yunoki demanded. "You're getting worked up for no valid reason. Yes, I _did_ see him and he was quite flushed but I'm sure he'll be fine. Do not worry too much." The green-haired boy next to him let out a deep sigh and tried to calm himself.

"I guess so, but you know, I hope he's going to be okay and all. After all, he's our friend!" Hihara looked distressed. "Kaho-chan's taking care of him... So I guess he'll be alright," he added a little sourly.

"Kazuki," Yunoki murmured. "Are you—?"

"Excuse me," a voice came from behind the two boys, cutting the flutist's sentence midway. "I apologise on behalf of interrupting this conversation but Amou-san and I couldn't help but overhear you two. May I know what you guys are talking about?"

Yunoki and Hihara spiralled around and saw a hazel-haired boy standing there next to Amou. With one glance, Yunoki felt like punching that arrogant-looking Eurasian standing in front of him, his body filled with jealousy and a bit of anger. Just with one glance, he was instantly reminded of what had happened earlier with the crimson-haired girl of which he loves—_loved_, he mentally corrected. He remembered seeing that bruise-like _thing. _That vulgar bruise which showed the entire world that the girl was being _claimed_ by another man already. It had to be him. _He_ had besmirched the girl. The git in front of him had tarnished his girl—the girl that was _supposed_ to be his at one point, he mentally corrected again. That girl. If it were anyone, the only one he'd legally accept her to be with was his one and only best friend. Not this—_imposter_.

"Perhaps," Yunoki murmured with a touch of malice in his tone, "however, I'd rather you not eavesdrop next time, _Tsuboshi-san._" The purple-haired boy said the guitarist's name as if it were some sort of a disgusting germ. He made it seemed as if he had said it jokingly to mask himself from the photographer. After all, it would be best if he didn't blow his cover, wouldn't it? Although, he knew that Hihara could sense that malice. He had already promised his best friend. No more lies. Even if he scared the living hell out of the trumpeter, this was what he'd do. It was like a gamble. But he'd still risk things.

Arashi winced, startled at the sudden edge of malice coming from the flutist. Arashi didn't mean to eavesdrop. He really didn't. He and Amou were just coincidentally coming up the stairs whilst Yunoki and Hihara were talking, really. Arashi wasn't daft, though. He knew that there was something up. After all, Yunoki seemed to be aiming the malice at _him_ in particular. He didn't really seem to mind that Amou was there at all. Arashi wondered if he had done something wrong but he sure didn't want to bother confronting Yunoki. Not now at least. Despite the fact he knew he could possibly take Yunoki down, there was something about the aura around the flutist which made the hazel-haired boy cringe in fear. It was... _Dark._

"Sorry," Arashi murmured. Yunoki smirked with a look of satisfaction before resuming his perfect facade.

"It's alright," Yunoki said with an insincere smile. "I just don't like it so much when people eavesdrop, that is all. In any case, we were actually talking about Tsukimori-kun. It seems that he's gotten a fever so Hino-san is currently taking care of him. I think that Tomita-san is helping out, too."

"I'm afraid not," an elder woman's voice came from another direction. The four of the high school students turned towards the direction of which the voice came from. "Hino-san is doing a pretty good job on her own," Tomita admitted as she approached the group. "She insisted on me doing what I normally do around here. She seems to be quite familiar with taking care of people so I left it to her." The older woman smiled at the group as she explained the situation. "I think that Tsukimori boy will be just fine though. With some rest and a bit of my healthy cooking, he'll be alright in a jiffy!" Tomita said cheerfully, causing the rest of them to smile, assured.

Hihara grinned, feeling less restless now. "That's good," he said. "Oh yeah, Yunoki," he said, suddenly perking up, "why did Tsukimori have my jacket on? I thought I lent it to you."

"_Azuma_. No more formalities, remember?" Yunoki said with a smile.

Hihara's gaze turned apologetic. "Sorry, it's just; I'm so used to it..." Yunoki nodded, understanding. 

"Ah yes, your jacket," the purple-haired man said, "I actually lent it to Hino-san when I saw her earlier. She seemed to be a little cold," he admitted. "I'm guessing she gave it to Tsukimori after realising that he had a fever."

Hihara blushed suddenly after he heard his friend's explanation. "K-Kaho-chan wore the jacket?" Yunoki nodded with a small smile. Hihara grinned to himself, his cheeks turning evidently red. "O-Oh," was all he could say. He felt much too happy to be expressed in words.

Yunoki smiled, evidently happy that his best friend was too. He patted Hihara lightly on the back, showing his best friend a sign of encouragement. The boy with pistachio-coloured hair grinned at the flutist joyfully, still having a slight blush on his face. Even though Yunoki _was _happy that he was able to support his best friend with his love, the flutist found himself still wounded by the fact he'd lost his own love. It felt so bitter to him and it really did hurt him. He felt his chest sink as he thought about it and he found himself unable to smile anymore. He looked away from Hihara, making sure that the trumpeter wouldn't see his face like that. _Just this one thing_. _I won't tell him just this one thing._ He wasn't going to. He couldn't.

"Yunoki-senpai," a female's voice called, breaking the flutist's bitter thoughts. He channelled his gaze towards the photographer who had an unreadable face.

Yunoki mentally sighed to himself. What was she going to ask him now? "Yes, Amou-san?" he replied politely with a smile.

"Can I talk to you later on tonight? I sort of want to interview you," she said with a cheerful smile.

Yunoki was about to say no, but due to his unbalanced emotions, he thought it'd be okay to say otherwise. He pondered over the question and thought, why not? After all, he didn't have much to do that night. "Alright," he agreed. "Shall we go for a walk to the beach tonight, then? I would prefer walking around whilst talking." Honestly, he just wanted something to get his mind off his pain. Talking to the chatty photographer would be perfect. He'd also be able to take a look at the beautiful night skies and the beach too. It would be an amazing distraction.

Amou seemed a little stunned. She didn't expect the purple-haired boy to agree to her wishes, even less did she expect him to ask her out for a walk. After processing his words for a moment, she finally spoke with strained, confused grin, "G-Great! I'll see you then," she said and averted her gaze from his. "Umm, I think I'll be going to my room now—you know, talk to Fuyuumi-chan and stuff." She turned to Arashi and gave him a smile. "You'll be alright?"

"Yeah!" he replied. "I think I'll go check on Kaho-chan for a bit. Maybe talk to her for a while," he said with a grin. Amou gave a nod and then walked off to her room, leaving the three boys near the stairway.

The brunette then faced the other two boys. "Sorry, may I know which room Kaho-chan is in?" he asked politely.

"Oh! She's in the room down that corridor over there," Hihara said, pointing at the direction the corridor was in, "third door to the left."

"Thanks," Arashi said as he headed off towards the room. As he walked, he suddenly heard the other boy's voice.

"Do _not_ do anything inappropriate," the voice warned. Arashi felt a shiver go down his spine, sensing the danger in the boy's voice. The guitarist wondered why the flutist was suddenly showing his malice blatantly now. Before, at the beach, he could sense a light malice but now it was clear and the fear he never felt before came with no resistance. He didn't like it—being afraid or intimidated of another boy his age—however, he couldn't help it and decided to try and shrug it off.

Without looking back, Arashi gave a slight nod and replied, "Will do." He heard the other boys' footsteps which eventually faded off as it seemed to go downstairs. The brunette proceeded with his own journey towards the third door down the corridor. As he was about to place his palm on the handle of the door, he then realised that it was slightly ajar and decided to peek through it, just to make sure he had gotten the right room.

He had, in fact, gotten the correct room. Sitting nearby a window covered by a silk, azure-coloured curtain, was the crimson-haired girl. The curtains were shut, covering all the sunlight coming from the outdoors, except some rays peering through a part of the curtains which parted slightly. Those yellow rays were directed onto the girl's red locks which shone brightly, making the female violinist look prettier than she already was. She was looking sweetly at a figure which lay on the bed, his body facing up the ceiling. The body was covered by a thick duvet up to the shoulders and had a damp towel placed neatly on the forehead. The person's face was slightly flushed and seemed to be breathing heavily. Kaho was looking at that person's face—Tsukimori's face. His blue locks spilled messily onto his pillow, smooth yet dishevelled. Kaho was gazing at it, her eyes not looking elsewhere—just him. She seemed so focused yet her face showed serenity and was so indescribably sweet. Her golden orbs were liquid-like and glassy as their gaze was affixed on the figure on the bed. Seeing the girl like that caused the brunette to freeze, breathless. If he could paint, he'd make this a portrait.

Arashi had mixed feelings about it though. Watching the crimson-haired girl, he felt a sense of joy and he found it hard for the two corners of his lips from going up. It was just the fact she was looking so irresistibly sweet towards Tsukimori. That part made the brunette's heart sink a little. After looking at her for a few moments, he reluctantly pushed the wooden door so that it opened wider and entered the room. He unfortunately broke her trance and the portrait was broken. But at the same time, he received something marvellous instead. The female violinist turned those pretty, glassy gold eyes his way, making his heart sink with a different emotion from which he felt earlier.

"Hey," he murmured softly as he approached at a moderately slow pace towards her in the dark room, his hands in his dark blue jeans pockets.

Kaho watched him as he slowly walked towards her, seeing some rays of sunlight reflecting in his shiny emerald green eyes, making it look like they were glowing in the darkness. They were beautiful. She felt an affectionate feeling as she saw those eyes. Looking at the made her feel a sense of nostalgia which made her feel calm and happy. She smiled at him, her eyes growing gentler with every second she had her gaze on him. "Hey," she replied with a mimicking tone.

The guitarist halted when he was positioned diagonally behind the chair the girl was sitting on. Kaho, who was still looking at him, had to turn her neck upwards in a slightly awkward position. Arashi returned the smile with his own, his eyes soft and glazed. That moment felt special to both of them—whether they realised it or not was a different case altogether. It felt priceless as both their eyes—emerald and gold—bore into each other, almost as if they were looking at each other's being.

The brunette then shut his eyes, still smiling. When his eyelids opened, they were focused on something else. He gestured towards the ill male violinist who lay on the bed. "Is he alright?" he asked, his voice still a murmur.

Kaho turned her head towards Tsukimori with a sympathetic look. "I hope so," she said with a sigh. "I wonder how he managed to get a fever suddenly though. He seemed fine a few days ago. I really wonder what happened to him."

"Maybe he just caught a summer cold," Arashi suggested. "He'll be alright though—I'm sure of it." Kaho turned to face the brunette with a questioning look on her face.

She smiled at him. "And why do you say that?" she asked.

"Because he has the best person to nurse him," Arashi said with a low chuckle.

Kaho let out a small laugh. "You still remember that?"

"Of course I do. More like, I should be asking _you_ that," he laughed softly. The crimson-haired girl stopped laughing once she understood what he meant by that. Instead, she turned her gaze to ground, a little bitter about the fact she had lost her memories.

Realising that he had said something he shouldn't have, Arashi quickly knelt to the floor and looked up at Kaho's face which looked surprised to see him crouch. "I-I'm sorry," he said quickly as he grabbed both her hands gently. "I shouldn't have joked about such a thing—not that." He sighed at himself, feeling stupid and ridiculous to have said such a thing to her. "I'm so sorry," he apologised again, "That's not something I should joke about. Kaho-chan, really. I'm really sorry."

The crimson-haired girl's gaze softened and she gave him a sweet smile followed by a soft, musical laughter. "You don't have to apologise so much, Arashi-kun. It's alright—it's my fault for not being able to remember in the first place." She gently rubbed his hands to assure him that it was alright.

"No," he murmured. "No, it's not. It is _not _your fault, Kaho-chan. Please don't say that. Kaho-chan, it was a sensitive matter and I—"

"Don't worry about it," she cut him off. "It's alright, already, Arashi-kun. I won't say that anymore."

Arashi removed one of his hands from hers, placed it on her cheek instead and stroked it tenderly. "Okay," he murmured, "but always, _always_ remember that it is not your fault, Kaho-chan." He flashed a quick grin at her of which made her feel happy in an instance. She just nodded and returned his grin with her own, awkward one. They both laughed softly together, making sure that the blue-haired boy wouldn't wake up due to loud noises.

The hazel-haired guitarist then released his hands from her and placed himself on the ground to sit cross-legged. "So," he murmured a little louder, "you _do_ still remember it, don't you?"

Kaho smiled. "Of course I do," she said. "The time _you_ fell ill in middle school," she laughed.

Arashi grinned at her. "And the time _you_ came to nurse _me_ at _my_ house," he said with a wink. The crimson-haired girl blushed lightly.

"I was worried about you," she admitted. "From what I remember, at least," she said jokingly. "Perhaps it's just my imagination," she said with a teasing scoff.

Arashi grinned playfully. "Nope, I'm sure it wasn't—you were quite flustered that night because of me." The girl flushed in embarrassment. The brunette's grin grew wider when he saw her blush.

"Y-You... I was just—umm, I," she stuttered, not knowing what to say.

"You _were _anxious," he said as-a-matter-of-factly. "Don't deny it." Kaho just pouted, still blushing. The guitarist chuckled at her behaviour and winked at her again. "And the truth is out." Kaho continued pouting in silence whilst the hazel-haired boy started to recall that day she had gone all over to his place for him.

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It was not a complete memory for her. Here she was, standing in front of the brunette's cream-painted house. It was a simple semi-detached house surrounded by a short wall with a brown, metal gate at the centre of the walls. Past those walls, there was a small garden which flourished well—it seemed to be taken care of pretty well. The memory was a blur to her—she couldn't remember how exactly she had gotten here or how she felt on her way. However, she knew she felt anxious at that point in her memory—anxiety for the sickly brunette who hadn't attended school earlier that day.

Kaho pushed through the unlocked gate and headed to the wooden door of the semi-detached house. She rung the doorbell and waited impatiently for someone to open the door. Whilst waiting, she took a quick scan of the beautiful garden there, admiring the flowers which bloomed with grace. She then understood why Arashi had mentioned to her that his mother was crazy about plants. Crazy about them was one thing, but she definitely took care of them brilliantly.

Standing on the porch of the house, Kaho then realised that she had been waiting for quite a while and decided to ring the door bell again. She doubtfully rang the doorbell again; a little afraid she was disturbing Arashi's mother or something. It was her first time coming here—the teacher gave her the address—and she didn't exactly want to give a bad impression on her good friend's family.

The girl pulled down her sleeve to reveal a silver watch and pondered over the time. She'd been waiting for 15 minutes now. She wondered if she should've called before she came over but she then realised that she was much too late for that. Kaho then turned from the door and decided she would try and come the day after since she could've been disturbing Arashi and his family now. Or, they could've possibly taken Arashi to the hospital if he really was badly ill. The thought made Kaho anxious but she told herself that she'd call tomorrow.

As she was about to reach the gate, she heard a loud thud come from the upstairs of the house. She jerked around, causing the ponytail of her crimson locks to swing off her shoulder. Her eyelids completely wide as she looked at the upstairs window, alarmed. She saw a silhouette of a figure sluggishly walking as if the person were creeping. Soon after, the figure disappeared and she heard the sound of something crashing. The crimson-haired girl felt afraid. It didn't make any sense for Arashi or his family to not answer the door if they were there. They weren't a suspicious family—or at least, she didn't think so. The only thing she could conclude was that someone had broken into their house.

Kaho felt afraid, but her sense of justice didn't allow her to walk off as if she didn't realise anything. She slowly walked back to the door and tried to turn the handle—it was open. She heard her heart race as she applied some force to the door to open it. She looked through the door cautiously and entered. She closed the door silently and crept around the house which was decorated in a western manner. She gulped, pushing the lump in her throat.

Another sound came from upstairs. It sounded like a groan from a gruff, strained voice. She flinched in shock. That was definitely not Arashi's voice. The middle school girl tiptoed up the stairs, her heart still beating unreasonably fast. Trickles of sweat streamed down her cheeks and her neck as she tried to observe her entire surroundings cautiously. When she was halfway up the stairs, she saw a figure on the ground. She froze, afraid. She felt petrified. Kaho wondered what she was going to do if that really _was_ a thief. She highly doubted that she'd be able to stop him with force—she wasn't that strong at all. Arashi had clearly proved that to her with a swift match of arm wrestling. She didn't even last a second. The crimson-haired girl reached her hand to her pocket slowly as she moved up another step. Should she call the cops? Or would it be better to go out and look for help from one of the neighbours. She finally had her phone out. She dialled the numbers and hovered one finger over the call button. Kaho took another step up the stairs. She froze again, but this time, for a different reason.

On the floor of the top floor, was a figure of a boy—a boy with hazel brown locks. He was sweating madly and his face was extremely pale. He was breathing heavily and he seemed to be unconscious. Once she regained control of her body, Kaho shoved her phone into her pocket and dropped her school bag. She immediately rushed over to the ill figure on the ground. "Arashi-kun!" she half-screamed. When she touched his body, she found herself immediately pulling back because of the sudden heat. "You're burning up," she said anxiously. "Arashi-kun!" Kaho quickly pulled Arashi's body from the ground and tried to support him on her back. _Ugh_, she thought, _he's heavy._ _Or I guess I'm just weak._ "Arashi-kun, which one's your room?" she asked, hoping that he'd answer although she wasn't too sure if he was even conscious or not. She wasn't too sure which room she should bring him into, though. There were at least four different rooms on this floor.

She heard him moan before he answered in a similar strained voice she had heard earlier. So she was wrong—there was not thief. It was just Arashi. "The room to the left," he groaned. Kaho quickly pulled him into the room and carefully placed him on the single bed. She pulled the black duvet under him and placed it on top of him instead. She gently adjusted his head onto his pillow and wiped the perspiration on his face.

"Where's your family?" she asked anxiously. Arashi furrowed his eyebrows as if he were trying to recall something important. "You haven't been to school for three days."

"My mum and dad went overseas last week," he said in a stained, soft voice. "My sister went with them." He panted before continuing. "They'll be back tonight but no one's home at the moment." The crimson-haired girl looked at him, her mouth agape.

"You—Arashi-kun! You should've gone to a hospital," she said, almost freaking out. "What were you thinking?" Kaho jerked away and walked away from the bed. Before she could, she felt her hand being pulled back. She looked at Arashi and saw him panting whilst holding her hand.

"D-Don't," he panted. "Don't go." Kaho looked at him sombrely. She squeezed his hands gingerly and moved closer to him. She pushed a lock of his hair off his face.

"I won't leave you," she assured him with a soothing voice. "Just wait for me; I'll get you some food and stuff. Do you mind if I use some of your ingredients in the fridge?"

"N-No," he mumbled. "Go ahead." He sighed and swallowed his saliva with a pained expression. His face then turned calm again. "I'm sorry," he whispered, "but I don't think there's much in the fridge."

"I'll sort things out," she assured him. "Just rest." Sure enough, Arashi was then able to relax and rest. Kaho then went around the house looking for items to help the poor, ill brunette. She managed to find a towel and some pills for colds but Arashi was right—there was barely anything in the fridge. She sighed as she returned to Arashi's room.

Kaho soaked the small towel in cold water and gently placed it on the male middle school student's forehead. He flinched at the sudden cold substance on his skin but then relaxed with a comfortable look on his face. "I'll give you your medicine after I get you something to eat," she whispered as she touched his warm face gently. She then got up and walked downstairs once again.

The crimson-haired girl decided she'd go down to the supermarket not far from here to get ingredients to make porridge. It wouldn't take long and at least she'd be able to make something for the brunette to eat. It was easy to swallow as well. She could also get him some medicine for his sore throat. With that, she set off from the house with the objective of coming back to this house quickly.

It didn't take so long. With a plastic bag filled with ingredients and things that would help colds, Kaho was already on her way back to the brunette's place. She was walking at a pace she wasn't used to as she wanted to hurry back to Arashi's place. She was worried about him. She didn't really want him walking around while he was so weak. He could even fall down the stairs. The mere thought of that made the girl walk faster. She finally reached the house in moments that felt like an eternity to her.

She opened the door and was alarmed to see the same figure on the ground—but on the first floor. "A-Arashi-kun," she gasped. She dropped the plastic bags and rushed over to him. "What are you doing?" she yelled. "You're supposed to be in bed." She carefully held him her arms in a protective stance.

"T-There you are," he mumbled, relieved. "I thought you had really left me."

"L-Left?" she asked, dumbfounded. She let out a heavy sigh as she furrowed her eyebrows. "Don't be stupid, Arashi-kun. Don't _do_ this next time. You almost scared the life out of me."

"I was scared you left me," he admitted with a strained voice. He coughed and tried clearing his voice.

Kaho sighed and supported his body once again. "Let's just get you upstairs first, okay?" The limp body in her hands nodded in agreement. It took some time, but Kaho eventually managed to get Arashi's body up to his room again. Once she placed him back on his bed and got a cold towel on his forehead, she pulled his duvet on top of him again. "Don't move," she ordered. "I'll get you some food."

"Don't leave," he repeated. Kaho laughed lightly and sat on the edge of the bed.

"You're surprisingly selfish when it comes to me," she said as she gently ran her fingers through his brown locks. "You didn't even keep still earlier."

Arashi half-smiled. "You're the only person I'm ever selfish with. Give me a break," he murmured. "I would never act like this with my parents or anyone else."

Kaho's face grew serious. "Why not?" she asked. "They love you very much, don't they?"

The brunette chuckled. "Of course they do," he coughed. "It's just, being the older brother, I've never found it right to be selfish in front of them."

The crimson-haired girl smiled at him, a gentle smile it was. "Everyone has a right to be selfish sometimes," she said.

"I'm being selfish with you, aren't I?" he said, opening his eye lids slightly. The two corners of his lips rose. The girl laughed.

"You sure are," she agreed. "I suppose I'll let you off this time," she mumbled. "Just don't be reckless, okay?"

"Yes ma'am," he replied with a cheeky grin.

Kaho rose from the bed with one last pat on the boy's head. "I'll go get you make you something to eat now so that you can consume your medicine later," she said. "I'll be back soon."

"You won't go anywhere else?" he asked suspiciously.

The female middle school student giggled. "I won't," she guaranteed. "Just relax! Get some rest." He brunette smiled and then shut his eyes with a tranquil expression.

The crimson-haired girl then went downstairs and got the plastic bags which were on the porch. She closed the door behind her and went to prepare the porridge. She felt a little guilty to use the utensils in the brunette's house as if they were her own but she didn't have much of a choice. The equipment was all high class, though. She wasn't very used to the western-styled kitchen but she found it pretty nice for a change.

It took some time for the rice to become soft and spongy but she eventually managed to make the porridge. It was relatively tasty, in her opinion, but that could've just been her. She at least managed to make it really easy to swallow. She scooped some of the porridge into a white bowl and placed a spoon inside. She poured some water into a glass cup and placed both the bowl and the glass onto a metal tray. Kaho lifted the tray carefully and brought it upstairs.

When she arrived to Arashi's room, she placed the tray on his wooden desk and pushed the books aside. She then arranged the booked neatly before getting the glass of water and medicine to the brunette. She placed the glass onto his bedside table and carefully lifted the brunette to sit up for a moment. The boy grunted as she did so but didn't retaliate. "Open your mouth," she ordered and the boy obediently did as he was told. Kaho placed the pill inside his mouth and gave him gently held the glass near his lips and tilted it so that the water would pour in slowly. "Drink." Arashi drank the medicine and the rest of the water before being placed back down onto the bed by his classmate. Kaho then shifted herself to the tray once again and brought the bowl to the boy. She placed the bowl on the bedside table as well before lifting the brunette once again. "Can you sit up?" she asked softly.

"Y-Yeah," the boy replied with a weak voice as he positioned himself to lean against the back of his bed. His eyes finally opened and he looked at her with those glazed, emerald orbs. "Thanks, Kaho-chan."

The girl smiled at him while she reached out to the bowl. "You're welcome." She took a spoonful of the porridge and blew on it so that it would cool down. She then brought the spoon to the boy's mouth. Arashi looked at her for a moment.

"Aren't you going to say something?" he asked with a weak, childish grin.

"What?" Kaho asked, confused.

Arashi's grin grew wider. "What about 'say 'ah''?" he teased. Kaho flushed for a moment. "Please?"

"You're an idiot," she mumbled, embarrassed. The boy just chuckled and opened his mouth. He was about to eat the porridge before the girl drew back her hand. After hearing he wasn't able to be selfish around his parents, Kaho felt sorry for him. Even though she knew it was going to be ridiculously embarrassing, she obliged to his pleading. "S-Say 'ah'," she mumbled; her face was completely red.

Arashi looked shocked. He didn't think she'd actually do it, but she did. He smiled at her with a thankful look and ate the soft, white food. He allowed it to melt in his mouth before he managed to easily swallow it, to his surprise. Another thing which surprised him was the food was actually really tasty—he hadn't had homemade food for about a week now and it tasted almost heavenly. "This is really good," he said.

Kaho grinned at him appreciatively. "Thank you," she replied. "If you're not full after this bowl, there's some more downstairs." Arashi nodded. The crimson-haired girl continued feeding him until he was full and it actually took him two bowls even though he didn't have that much of an appetite.

Once the brunette had finished his meal, his classmate had forced him to lie down and told him to sleep. He turned from his position to lie on his shoulder so that he could face the crimson-haired girl who was sitting on the floor next to his bed. He smiled at her, feeling really grateful that she was here. He felt much better compared to the past three days even though he had been sleeping a lot even then. Kaho, who noticed him looking at her, frowned. "Go to sleep," she insisted. "You should rest."

Arashi ignored her commands. "Why are you here?" he asked curiously.

Kaho's eyes widened. It seemed like she wasn't expecting that question all of a sudden. "I-I came to check up on you—it's not like you to miss school for three days," she said. "I got your address from our homeroom teacher. Everyone else is worried too, you know." She said her sentences quickly, almost as if she were panicking. "P-Plus school's weird without you being aloof there."

Arashi grinned at her. "Missed me, I see?"

His classmate blushed lightly. "Y-Yeah," she mumbled softly, averting her eyes. Arashi's eyes widened. He didn't expect her to be so honest. He felt joy at hearing that and something inside him felt warm and fuzzy—or maybe that was just his cold again.

"Thanks though—for coming, I mean," he said. The girl then looked at him again, her eyes gentle and affectionate. She smiled at him and something inside him felt like it was squeezing him.

"You're welcome," she murmured. She then let out a small laugh. "I'm glad I did though—you'd probably have died or something if you kept lying on the floor up here."

"Oh—that. I was actually trying to get the door. I didn't know who was ringing the doorbell, you see," he said, his face looking like he was pondering over something.

"You shouldn't leave your door unlocked, by the way—or your gate," she warned, remembering that the entire house was unguarded. "I thought someone had come to break in to steal something. I was really scared," she admitted.

Arashi looked at her as if he was studying her. "And yet," he began, "you dared enter this house by yourself. You're rather courageous."

"I-I didn't want anything to happen to you—or well, to your house... Umm. Something like that," she mumbled.

"It seems that I lucked out then," he murmured. He studied her for a long moment while she just watched his emerald green eyes looking at hers. "I'm lucky," he repeated, "but next time, don't do that."

Kaho looked at him quizzically. "W-What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean," he said sternly, "if you ever sense danger next time, don't go running towards it. Get help, okay?" Kaho wanted to argue with him—wanted to tell him that she _was_ going to call the cops, but seeing his emerald eyes hard and stern, she didn't have the guts to.

"O-Okay," she mumbled, feeling guilty. Arashi's face immediately softened and he reached out one of his hands towards her.

"Good," he said. "Now, hold my hand till I sleep?" he said with a grin.

Kaho knew that grin. He was trying to be selfish again, and being the sucker she was, she reluctantly obliged. She held his hands, her colder one in his warm, sweaty palms. She held it gingerly and stroked it as she hummed a tune. Arashi finally found it hard for him to keep his eyes open and eventually shut them as he listened to the girl's beautiful voice hum a lovely tune. Her cool hand stroking his felt comfortable and soon enough, he found himself escaping into a sweet slumber.

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"It was nice of you to come back then."

Arashi's voice broke off Kaho's trance of her memory of which she was reliving. "I'm sure it was," she mumbled as she smiled at the boy who sat on the ground next to her.

"You can cook too, by the way," he said with a wink. Kaho laughed softly, afraid to wake the male violinist who was fast asleep on the bed in front of her.

"Thank you," she said softly as she smiled at the guitarist. Arashi then got up from the ground and looked down at the girl in front of him.

He flashed a quick grin at her. "Anyways, I think I'd better go now," he said softly as he pat her lightly on the head. "You've got a patient who needs you right now."

Kaho swiftly got up from her seat, surprised that Arashi had to leave so soon. "But—when will I see you? Arashi-kun, you're the only one who knows about me—"

"Visit me tomorrow, then," he said, cutting her off. "Whenever you want, come by my place for a while—I'll be here during summer vacation, after all."

The girl nodded appreciatively. "Thanks, Arashi-kun."

"Maybe, if you want, we can go for a walk tomorrow—just you and me," he said with a wink. Kaho laughed lightly.

"None of my friends can come, then?" she asked as if she was suspicious and she narrowed her eyes playfully.

The hazel-haired guitarist chuckled. "Of course they can," he assured her. "I can't keep you to myself _all_ the time. Anyways I'll see you, then."

"Tomorrow, right?" she asked as Arashi began walking away quietly.

"Yeah," he said and flashed her one quick grin before he exited the room.

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_I hope you liked this chapter! xD Hopefully I'll be updating soon. I'm on holidays now so it shouldn't be too bad. xD Please do review as I've told you all a load of times, they give me SUPPORT! xD Go review! xD _


	20. Cruel Reality

_Ah… Right, as some of you may be wondering, no, this isn't the last chapter, and no, I didn't manage to complete this fanfic by this year. Frankly I've got exams next year but perhaps I'll try and get this done as soon as possible, eh? Anyways, this is probably the last chapter for this year since I think I'll be busy during the next few days of the year. I've got to study and crap. xC Oh well, some things must be done! Have fun reading and Merry Christmas folks!_

_Before we begin, once again I have review replies. xD_

_**Paigeydoll **__– Hmm… I wonder… xD Perhaps I'll put it in sooner or later. Look forward to it!_

_**GreenBubbles **__– You're welcome! I'm glad you liked that chapter. xD Glad you like Arashi too. _

_**Sakura125 **__– Ahah, no, I don't think I'll be giving up on this fanfic. I'll try my best to see it to the end! Fret not. xD_

_**Amulet Crimson **__– Well, actually she's not paired up with anyone at the moment. But the two people who I'd candidate for her to end up with are Tsuboshi Arashi and Tsukimori Len. There's a poll on my profile for readers to vote. xD_

_**WaiiKitsune – **__Hello again! I see you've changed your name xD Nevertheless, thanks for reading chapter 19. I'm glad you liked it!_

_**Yoyoyo **__– I'm flattered at your kind compliments. xD Here's an update. I hope you'll like it. Cx_

_**Dragon Violist **__– Thank you. xD Well, we'll see. The person she ends up with will be a surprise. xD_

_Onwards! _

_OH GEEZ. WAIT. Before you begin, __**I must let you readers know something**__**urgent**__. I'll put the information after the chapter. Please do have a look! It's crucial to the story!_

**Cruel Reality**

A pair of pale eyelids opened, revealing two golden irises which were dim and dazed. The eyes scanned the room quizzically with a slow, even pace. The person who owned those beautiful-coloured eyes carefully sat up from the bed he was lying on. Rising from his pillow, he felt his warm body feel weak and extremely uncomfortable. The towel on his forehead which was once cold fell off when he rose. His tousled hair fell onto his forehead untidily, making the boy look rather different compared to his normally neat self. He coughed and held a hand at his chest—it felt extremely warm. He was about to give up on getting up and fall back onto the comfortable pillow before he realised locks of red hair on the edge of the bed. He paused. There was a female violinist lying with her arms as well as her head on the bed whilst her body bent over from a chair she was sitting on. The boy watched her for a moment, still dazed. When common sense kicked into him, he realised that the girl wouldn't normally have been sleeping on the edge of his bed. He didn't even know how he had gotten here in the first place. The boy just remembered seeing her outside in the garden and... He didn't know what occurred afterwards. He then massaged his temples and racked his brains as to what had happened earlier for he couldn't remember.

Then it hit him like a sudden realisation. He had been walking around the gardens for some fresh air and he had then saw the crimson-haired girl as he was about to round a corner of the large building. He wasn't feeling his best at that time and she told him that he had come down with a fever, if he remembered correctly. So she had covered him with the coat she was wearing and... And then he saw it—that bruise. Tsukimori massaged the bridge of his nose and sighed. He had done such a disrespectful thing towards that poor girl. He had lost his temper and even trapped her against a wall due to his sudden rage. Why had he been so angry in the first place? Truly, even now, the 'bruise' disturbed him, but he'd never had thought that he would do such a thing. "Ugh," he groaned. The male violinist felt disgusted with himself. It wasn't helping much that his body felt incredibly warm and weak too. "What have I done?" he asked himself, his voice hoarse.

Time passed as the blue-haired boy silently reflected on his earlier actions. He placed his hands on his face and sighed once more. Removing his palms, he moved his golden eyes to the girl sleeping on the edge of the bed. Streaks of sunlight gently warmed her pretty, red hair, making it shine brightly on the parts the light poured lightly over it. It was breathtakingly beautiful. Such a peculiar colour for hair, he thought, even though he didn't really have a right to say so. Her hair was the opposite of his. Red; Blue. Such contrasting colours and yet when put together, made an astoundingly beautiful clash.

Without thinking, Tsukimori couldn't help but reaching his hand out towards the scarlet locks of hair which shone in the weak light. He gingerly held the girl's hair and lightly touched it, feeling its silky smoothness. The desire to stroke it grew as the seconds ticked and he found himself slowly stroking her hair from her head. At first, he was extremely cautious, afraid to wake her up. Seeing her unshaken from his touch, he eventually grew braver to stroke her hair with a faster pace. He ran his fingers through those silky, untangled locks.

Suddenly, the girl started to stir and the boy immediately withdrew his hands and watched her start to rise. She mumbled incoherent words and shifted her hands towards her eyes as she groggily rubbed them, furrowing her eyebrows. She then sighed, smoothened her eyebrows and left her hands still. It appeared to be as if Kaho went back to sleep. However, a few seconds later, she lifted her eyelids at an exaggeratedly slow pace and gazed at the bed sheets sleepily with her golden eyes. Her breathing was slow and was clearly heard as there was no other sound in the room—not even Tsukimori's. The blue-haired boy had unconsciously held his breath when he withdrew his hand from her hair earlier.

Sensing that the girl hadn't realised that he had stroked her hair, Tsukimori released his breath and found his breathing to be in unison with the crimson-haired girl. Kaho's eyes abruptly flickered towards him, still dazed. She watched him for a few moments, just staring at his golden irises as he stared at hers. After those moments, her pupils then dilated and her eyelids widened. "Tsukimori-kun!" she said, alarmed as she rapidly sat up. Her sudden movement startled the ill boy, causing him to jolt backwards.

Still feeling unwell, his quick movement made his head spin and he found himself immediately leaning on the back of the bed for support. He placed a hand on his head and he shut his eyes, trying to get rid of the pain caused from his sudden jolt. Kaho reached out towards him anxiously. "Are you alright?" she asked as she carefully placed her palm on his forehead. "You've still got a fever," she said.

"I'm alright," he answered defensively and opened his eyes.

Kaho looked at him sternly, making him a bit bewildered. "No, you're not," she said strictly, "you're ill and you've got to rest, Tsukimori-kun." Kaho's abrupt change in behaviour made him speechless—he'd never seen her talk like this to him; ever—even when he had gotten sick in the music room the other time. His eyes widened in recognition. He had been seen by her in this sort of pathetic situation before. He mentally laughed to himself at the memory and the fact he kept on looking so unsightly in front of her. "I'm not joking," Kaho said when she saw him appear to be bemused. "You've got to rest," she said, a little softer this time. The male violinist said nothing. Instead, he watched her looking at him anxiously. "Please?" she then asked.

The cuteness was overwhelming. Tsukimori pretended to wipe his face as it felt a little heated up and averted his eyes. "Okay," he agreed as he lay back down onto the pillow. He _did_ feel a little dizzy anyways. It felt weird, though, obeying orders from her. It puzzled him as he somehow felt obliged to do as she asked him to. He continued watching her from his lying position, wondering what she was going to do next. He felt like a child again—as if watching his caretaker help nurse him back to good health. Just like the servants did back when he was young. Although, it didn't feel as personal as it did now.

"You just rest, Tsukimori-kun," she said soothingly as she gently patted his head. "I'll go get you something to eat." She got up from her chair and Tsukimori observed her as she exited the shadowed room. It was weird. She _had _been acting rather... Peculiarly, lately. Ever since this trip to the villa, to be almost exact. However, this behaviour was downright blasphemy. She had _never_ been that way towards the blue-haired boy as far as he could remember. Never stern, never commanding. If anything, she seemed a little... Afraid, sometimes. The male violinist couldn't quite put his finger on it but he found himself a little amused at this new side of herself she was showing him.

Perhaps it was the flu. Maybe he was just feeling a little tipsy compared to what he normally would think. Yes, that was it. He wasn't thinking right. Even his actions earlier before he passed pit were abnormal. It _had_ to be this dreadful fever he was having. Tsukimori found it almost scary to not be able to think very rationally. Or maybe he _was_ thinking rationally but he wasn't aware of it. The blue-haired boy then sighed. This was getting him nowhere except for another skull-cracking headache. He turned to lie on his side and shut his eyes, trying to calm himself. He tried thinking of nothing—tried making his mind empty. He imagined just a plain colour—white. It made him feel calm and it was undeniably helping with his headaches and dizziness. He continued thinking of nothing; just imagining a simple, white colour. It was so serene, so... Pure. He relaxed and as soon as he knew it, the pain was all gone.

The blue-haired boy then opened his eyes, surprised to see a brightly lit up room. The lights were on. Sitting on the same chair earlier, was the similar red-haired girl. The curtains behind her were completely covered so there was no more sunlight streaming through it. She smiled at him when she saw him gaze at her. He wondered when she had gotten back and what smelt so delicious. He turned his head slowly towards the bedside table and saw a tray with a glass of water and a bowl. The delicious-smelling substance had to be in that bowl. Tsukimori felt a rumble in his stomach. How long had he not eaten for? He didn't particularly remember eating breakfast... He must've slept through lunch as well. He then shifted his eyes back to the girl, feeling a bit dazed again. His body still felt warm.

"Seems like you're awake now," she said. Her words confused him. He'd only been shutting his eyes for a moment. What was she talking about? "You seem to have drifted off earlier," she continued, "it's been about three hours since then."

"What time is it?" Tsukimori asked, surprised to hear his own voice sound so cracked.

"I think it's nearly seven," Kaho said. "I went downstairs about ten minutes ago to reheat your food. I had a feeling you'd be stirring just about now. Seems like I was right." She grinned at him.

Tsukimori didn't say anything. He carefully positioned himself to sit up, still feeling flushed. The girl immediately got up from her chair and helped him sit up by supporting his back. "Thank you," the male violinist said; his voice still croaky. Once she had gotten the boy to sit up, Kaho took the bowl of porridge scooped one spoonful of the food.

"Here," she said as she tried to hand him the spoon. Tsukimori took it at an amazingly slow pace because he was still weak. He carefully lifted it and placed it in to his mouth. He swallowed with furrowed eyebrows—he didn't expect his throat to hurt so much. The girl continued giving spoonfuls of porridge for a while until the blue-haired boy was too tired to lift his hand to his mouth.

He pursed his lips and sighed. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, "I think I'll just rest."

"Are you sure?" Kaho asked—after all, he'd only eaten half a bowl. Tsukimori was about to say 'yes' but was then interrupted by his stomach's growl. He kept silent, embarrassed. It felt weird, seeing Tsukimori like this. He was so unbelievably weak and helpless. The girl took another spoonful and instead of handing it to him, she brought it to his mouth. He looked at her, bewildered. Even his caretakers have never done such a thing.

"What are you doing?" he asked with his eyes wide.

Kaho flushed lightly because it felt like he was silently rejecting her embarrassing offer. It was much easier with Arashi—heck, he'd tell her to feed him in the first place. "Y-Your hand is tired, isn't it?" she stammered. "I'll f-feed you; you're hungry." She looked away, embarrassed.

The two people in the room were both embarrassed. However, after a long pause of silence, Tsukimori opened his mouth and ate from the spoon she fed him. Feeling the spoon shift, Kaho turned her gaze towards him, shocked. She saw a light blush on his creamy, fair cheeks and found her face feeling a little hot too. She smiled at his kindness of not pushing her away and silently allowing her to feed him. Soon enough, she emptied the entire bowl. They just sat in silence for moments that felt never ending before the boy spoke.

"It's delicious," he mumbled. "You made it?"

"O-Oh, thanks," Kaho replied, a little flustered. "Y-Yeah, I made it..." she trailed off, still blushing lightly. The silence was about to return—she realised; and she pushed herself to prevent it. "I-I'm glad you like it!" she said a little too loudly which only caused her blush to deepen.

Tsukimori chuckled lightly, causing Kaho to stare at him, bewildered. He laughed? _He_ laughed? What a rather... Unlikely sight to see. The blue-haired boy coughed after he noticed her gawking at him to disrupt her blank shock. It worked—she broke out of her trance and glanced away from the boy.

"Y-You seem very unused to umm... Being taken care of," she mumbled as she stared at the ground. The male violinist contemplated whether or not he should just give her a simple answer or let her know about his childhood. However, he didn't exactly have to. Plus, he was having a sore throat so he decided he wouldn't bother.

Tsukimori gulped down his saliva to try to clear his sore throat. "I've been taken care of before," he said. It sounded like he was stating an obvious fact and Kaho just felt like she was stupid.

"O-Oh," she mumbled, deciding not to press on. The blue-haired boy saw her expression change to a small amount of sadness and guilt overrode him. He mentally sighed to himself. He didn't exactly feel too tired yet so he decided the latter. He didn't want to make her feel any more awkward or upset. Somehow, as peculiar as it was to him, he didn't feel like he minded telling her. Even though he knew he'd definitely not tell anyone else. But for her... How rather... Odd, he thought.

"Just never by someone I was relatively close with," he went on, causing the crimson-haired girl to look up in expectation. "When I was younger I was always taken care of my servants," he said. "Never my mother or my father."

"No way!" Kaho exclaimed. "You must've been lonely." The girl's loud voice caused him to jump. He cleared his throat as to indicate that she should be quiet as he was telling her something. "Oops," she mumbled, "sorry." Her face began to fell again and it made Tsukimori's heart sink. He gave her a rare smile which allowed her to seem more energetic—she smiled back.

"Perhaps I was at first," he said and his eyes looked as if he was no longer looking into the bedroom which was shared by three people. He appeared to be reminiscing his childhood days; listening and seeing it. "Some time later I think I began to get used to their presence not being there. I was always taken care of maids who would give me my medicine on time and get me to eat my meals." His eyes dulled a little. "But that was it. No one had ever been so personal when taking care of me—especially nowadays I just take care of myself." He bit his lip and swallowed his saliva again; evidently, his sore throat didn't feel very comfortable. He really seemed like he remembering the olden days.

"What happened last time?" she asked with a soft tone.

The blue-haired boy paused for a moment—he still seemed to be recalling something. "It's nothing," he mumbled, "nothing important, really." Silence followed after he shrugged it off. He then turned his gaze towards the crimson-haired girl. She looked a little upset and seeing her like that made him feel extremely guilty. He sighed to himself and mentally convinced himself to give in. Eventually he did. "It was a long time ago," he breathed. "That time I..." He trailed off.

The two sat in silence more many long minutes that felt never ending to the female violinist. After sometime, Kaho reached out her hand to his to assure him that he wasn't always alone and that he had friends. However, before she managed to touch his hand or speak, he suddenly spoke in a softer, grave tone.

"When I was five," he murmured, "I fell ill. It was Christmas. I was such a child back then." He chuckled lightly, still with a grave tone. "My parents had gone to Venice and were to return that night. They said that they'd be home that night and that they'd celebrate the holiday with me. The maids were to leave early and 3 that day as it was Christmas and they were going to have a day of the day after. I awoke that day with a bad fever and being a child, I kicked a fuss, demanding the maids to make me better since my parents were returning that day. They took care of me by giving me medicine and telling me to sleep so I did. But by three o' clock they were gone. Surely they had some better things to do rather than take care of a kid. I woke up at 8 and got myself ready for my parents return even though I was feverish. I sat at the dinner table—the maids' had already gotten the Christmas dinner ready before they'd left. I remember staying there by myself for hours and hours. By the time I knew it, it was already 12—the day after Christmas. My parents still weren't home." The boy's eyes dimmed with bitterness. "I don't remember how long I stayed up for that night but I felt awful. I was ill and..." He trailed off. "The next day I awoke to the sound of the phone ringing," he continued. "It was my parents—their flight had been delayed and they were only returning the next day. I remember feeling so unbelievably upset and bitter. I was still sick but I rested a lot that day and got myself sandwiches for my meals. On the 27th I had gotten myself better and my parents returned. We did celebrate another Christmas but I've never really felt like relying on anyone since then."

He then shut his eyes and kept silent. Kaho just watched him with eyes filled with pity after listening to his story. It was the first time she'd heard Tsukimori speak so much but to think that she'd hear such a saddening story... She then placed her hand on his warm one, causing him to open his eyes and look at her. "Don't say that," she murmured. "You can rely on me," she said with an assuring tone. Tsukimori instantly regretted telling her that story when he saw the look on her face. She looked crumpled.

"I'm sorry," he said, full of regret. "I shouldn't have told you that." His voice was still weak, so was his body. Now he didn't mentally feel so good. To his surprise, the girl got up from her seat, sat on the edge of the bed and hugged him. She gently rubbed his back and placed her head on his shoulder.

"Don't apologise," she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear. "You're not alone, Tsukimori-kun—that was just a scene in the past." Her voice, her touch, her soul. Everything about her made him feel calm and he felt like he could give in to his pent up emotions. He placed his head on her shoulders and rested himself there.

"Thank you," he murmured. They remained in that position for an extremely long time. When Kaho stopped rubbing his back, she realised that his breathing had become longer and even. She held him and moved her face away to take a look at him; he had fallen asleep. The crimson-haired girl carefully placed the boy on his pillow and stroked his hair.

She smiled with sympathy at the boy and whispered, "Rest well, Tsukimori-kun." Kaho then sat back onto the chair and watched the boy's flushed face and tried to think of how much pain and disappointment he had gone through when he was merely a child. How this person had become so strong and what sort of things in the past haunted him. She tried imagining it; the little boy walking around an enormous house, feverish and ill, waiting for his parents to celebrate with him. The female violinist mentally cursed those maids for being so selfish—they should've taken care of him even _if _they had other things to do. How could they have just left a poor, little boy who was ill in a house all by himself to wait for his parents? He was sick, for crying out loud! She thought. It was ridiculous. She stretched out her hand and held his, gently rubbing it, as if to say that he wasn't alone.

wxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxw

Later that night, two figures walked along the road paths under the semi-moon's light. It was Yunoki and Amou, walking towards the beach together. The flutist wore a pair of dark blue jeans and a simple long-sleeved shirt whereas the photographer wore a white t-shirt and a pink skirt which fell in between her knees and her hips. It was slightly longer than a mini skirt and it definitely looked good on the pretty girl. She had her hair let down, making her wavy locks gracefully onto her shoulders. Oh, but then again, who cared? Yunoki certainly didn't. It wasn't like he was rather pleased with the girl at this point either. He had been waiting for this moment to finally listen to this rather chatty girl's rambles for once to take his mind of Kaho and Hihara but _now_ she wasn't interested in talking. The entire time they had been walking for about 15 minutes, she had barely said much, just giving simple, brief answers to him when he asked questions to keep the silence away. For the love of god, he might've just asked that anti-social Fuyuumi to join him instead, if that were the case!

But it wasn't. In fact, this photographer had personally asked _him_ out to _talk_ but she was barely even _talking _now. That was what made the blood under Yunoki's skin boil. Under normal circumstances, he knew that he'd be able to be more patient as he's been training himself all his life to be polite and perfect. However, after the occurrence with Kaho and the confrontation from Hihara, he wasn't exactly feeling his best, to be honest and _this situation_ was hardly helping him at all. He clicked his tongue softly—too soft for her to hear—and spoke once more.

"Amou-san, isn't it a little ironic that you're getting shy on me now, after all this time?" he asked, his fake smile plastered onto his face again. That wasn't really something to strike a conversation with. Honestly, he just wanted to irritate her for bringing him out here with apparently no reason.

The flutist expected her to glare at him and retort with some annoying, over-long sentence but instead, she just glanced at him for a moment and then looked away again. A vein popped on Yunoki's head and he was about to let loose a portion of his temper before she then spoke. "I'm not being shy," she said loud and clear. "I just figured you'd need some time to think by yourself—just not alone." Yunoki looked at her, puzzled. What on earth was she on about?

"I don't think I really understand what you're implying, Amou-san," the purple-haired boy said.

"You're upset, aren't you?" That question caught him off guard. He halted, shocked, his eyes wide open. The girl continued walking on for a moment but then turned around when she realised he wasn't following.

"I'm not," he murmured, trying to cover up his sudden shock. He continued walking until he reached her and from there, they both continued walking together. It only took a short while till they reached the beach.

At night, the beach looked breathtaking. The dark waters glowed under the silver moon which hovered over the night skies, the semi-circular shape allowing its bright reflection to be painted onto the surface of the salt water. The endless waves moved gracefully as they shifted towards the sandy beach, allowing themselves to crash smoothly against the soft, flat surface. The smell of salt wafted in the air as the cool breeze brought over the smell to the seashore over and over again. The breeze pushed the hairs of the two people standing on the desolated beach and blew past their skin, causing them to feel to coolness of the night.

They walked slightly closer towards the water and Amou sat on the fine, dry sand beneath her, bending her knees and wrapping them with her arms as she stared in awe at the beauty of the view in front of her. The flutist did the same, except he just stood beside her while doing so. They listened to the sound of the waves shifting and crashing against the sand—a beautiful sound it was. The tension Yunoki had gathered into his shoulders—his entire body—managed to escape as he allowed himself to just surrender to his serene surroundings. The flutist shut his eyes and he just allowed himself to feel and hear everything around him. The cool breeze felt heavenly and the sounds of the waves and the trees rustling in the wind were extremely peaceful. He continued keeping his emotions inside but allowed himself to feel the bitterness and the pain that he had felt when he had decided to give up on the only girl he'd ever liked—Kaho. As soon as he felt the pain, he instantly regretted allowing himself to feel—it made him feel horrible. He swallowed the lump in his throat of which had formed and took a deep breath. Releasing his breath, he lifted his eye lids in a dramatic pace and he continued staring at the sea in silence, by himself. Himself?

He jerked his head round and looked at the ground beside him—Amou was still there. Yunoki quickly regained his composure and returned her gaze, mentally kicking himself for letting his guard down. By allowing himself to just surrender to his emotions and forget about everything else, he had forgotten that the photographer was there, sitting next to him—worst of all, it seemed like she had been observing him the entire time. How could he have been so _stupid_? Especially in front of this girl who observed and wrote about every little gossip she could get her grasp on. He tried to calm himself mentally and finally got a hold of himself. She couldn't get any gossip from that. He didn't seem to hear the shutter of her camera; didn't seem like she'd brought it either. So then, all was good, wasn't it? He just had to cover things up now.

"Is there something wrong, Amou-san?" he asked, another fake smile plastered onto his face.

Her face showed that she was being extremely observant at the moment and she continued studying him even as he spoke. She looked… Rather smart, per say, in Yunoki's opinion—this to him was surprising. She normally appeared to be the overly chatty, bubbly type of girl who pressed on for whatever she wanted—in other words, a demanding bimbo.

Amou just pursed her lips and glanced away from him. "No," she replied. She paused before saying her next sentence. "Are you alright, though?" she asked in a soft, tender voice.

"I'm perfectly fine," he replied instantly with even words. "You've been implying that I'm upset," he said as he narrowed his eyes at the photographer. "May I ask why, Amou-san?"

She kept quiet at first but then drew a sigh. "You've been acting a little weird since Hino-san went with Tsuboshi-san last night," she explained. "It was just an instinct so I blurted out that perhaps you were jealous yesterday and Hihara-senpai got a bit…" she trailed off. Yes, he knew what Hihara had gotten like thanks to this blithering idiot. Yunoki mentally sighed to himself again—so she _did_ have some sense of awareness of what she had done to his best friend. Great. "Anyways," she spoke, breaking off her last sentence, "he went to your room and talked to you about it, didn't he? By observing you, it seems like something must've happened—since you like Hino-san and all." The flutist froze, completely clueless of what to say. He felt something in his chest tighten as he was reminded of last night and this morning. Those were such bitter, negative memories to him but this girl had instantly reminded him of them—not like he wasn't thinking of them enough as it was. However, all the things she had said were spot on. How the hell did she know so much? Just by observing? He hadn't told anyone—not that he could remember of and he didn't exactly have a bad memory. "Well, that's what I'm guessing, to be honest," she said as she turned her gaze towards him once more.

So it was just a hunch. It was true that either way, she wouldn't have any sense of evidence that he liked the crimson-haired girl. Then again, no one really has evidence of someone liking another person. Feelings were things you couldn't exactly describe—more like something you feel or you see. And it seemed like Amou had perfectly seen his; but it was still a hunch. "You think that I like Hino-san?" he asked. "It is true that she is a nice person," he said, his perfect façade on once more, "but I don't think that I'd get romantically inclined with her." He tried to make himself sound extremely convincing—to his shock, Amou didn't seem to buy it. "I don't even look at her in that way," he said with his 'kind' smile—the photographer still didn't look very convinced.

Amou bit her bottom lip and kept quiet for a moment before she looked at the waves again. She stared blankly at the moving water for a few minutes before speaking once more. "Have you ever been told that you are too perfect, Yunoki-senpai?" Her voice was clear, yet soft and at the same time curious. That question made him feel a tingle go down his spine in unexpected anxiety. People never _said_ it, but he was sure that some must've thought so. This girl seemed to be getting closer and closer to figuring out who he truly was—and he didn't like that. No, he didn't like that at all.

"No, I haven't," he said, giving off an artificial laugh. "Do I really seem that way?" The flutist gritted his teeth, hoping that he'd manage to drift her apart from the subject of which she wanted—this girl was much too curious. And in his unstable state, he might just snap at her. This wasn't good. After all, he'd been waiting for her to speak for quiet a while, but the moment she does, she seemed to be trying to know who the real him was. Making it sound like she was the only one who really understood him—it disgusted him. The only person he had shown himself to was probably only Kaho and Miyabi, his sister. He'd decided to show Hihara as well, but it wasn't going to be that easy. But now this… _Girl_… Somehow was peeking into his heart—he didn't like this at all.

"Yes, you do," she said bluntly, causing another wave of anger rush through Yunoki's body due to irritation.

"Hmm," he mumbled, appearing to be mused. "Well, that's not it," he laughed, masking his fury. "I just work hard, that's all. My grandmother is very strict so it's necessary."

"Your grandmother?" she asked, turning her attention towards him once more. Shoot. Why did he slip that information out?

The flutist let out another 'kind' laugh. "Yes," he said, "she's a little strict but it's good for my sake, nevertheless. I get good grades so I think it's alright."

"You try so hard for your grandmother?" she asked, her voice softer now.

"No," he laughed. "I do it for myself. Of course, I do love my grandmother dearly and it pleases me to please her too."_What bullshit,_ he thought, _that woman just controls me. Nothing more, nothing less. Just to become a pawn of the Yunoki family… _

"Even acting kind to everyone?" she asked seriously this time, her blue eyes hard. Perspiration trickled down Yunoki's spine. What was she—? "Is that for you too?"

Yunoki racked his brains, wondering what he was to do if he made another blunder. She seemed to be getting much too close for his liking to finding out his true nature. Perhaps he could just show her his true side, like he'd done with Kaho. She never had the strength to tell other for they'd never believe her since Yunoki was such a perfect role-model. On top of that he had his own large fan base which would pin Kaho down that time had she said anything unnecessary. No one would believe Amou either, would they? The flutist highly doubted it but since she was in the newspaper club it was going to be much too troublesome. If she put in an article based on his true nature, people initially may not believe it but they'd become suspicious and he'd have to put his façade up stronger than it was before. What was he to do, then?

"You don't believe my kindness is genuine?" he asked, pretending to sound hurt.

Amou seemed to ponder over that question for a while. "I don't believe that anyone has no kindness," she said in an explanation. "And I'm sure that there are some much kinder than others. But you seem… Too…" She seemed to muse over what word to pick. "Artificial." Hearing that word made Yunoki feel like she was crawling under his skin. It wasn't a lie that he was artificial. In fact, it was the solid truth. But hearing it so bluntly somehow stung. "For instance, normally when one starts a conversation to you, the things you reply or ask never really lead to anything… Meaningful—it's just a simple, light talk which would show friendliness and kindness. It's never something personal, from what I've seen or heard. They're just eloquent words, in my opinion." She paused for a moment. "Let's say, someone like Fuyuumi-chan is generally very shy and kind but I'm pretty sure that she gets evidently irritated at people sometimes. But you… No matter how one may act of behave, you seem to be fine with it all the time. And you're kind to everyone." She paused for a moment before continuing. "But I'm sure that everyone—even you—have someone that they're irritated with or dislike. You just don't seem to show it, no?"

_Of course I do,_ he thought, _namely you_. Despite his anger, he realised that everything she said, her explanation and her observations, had been right. She was correct about him and everything she had said had been spot on. This was ridiculous. Since when had this… This… Imbecile, as he would call her, get so smart? And for god's sake, _now_ she was rambling. Not about her usual idiotic gossips or her trying to pry into him—she seemed to have already pried; a little too deeply, in his opinion—but it was about _him_. Surprising thing was, she was right. However, now, he really didn't know what to say. His rage made him shook and he folded his arms so that he could hide his hands which were curled into two balls of fists. He kept quiet, afraid that he might start shouting at her the moment he opened his mouth and tried to appear as if he was pondering over the question—due to his anger, he didn't look it at all.

Amou seemed to notice his silence and appear at him. She watched him, observing his every action and movement—his breathing, his gazes; everything. Her blue eyes were so focused at him and Yunoki couldn't help but realise it. He turned towards her and returned her gaze, still silent. She saw those golden orbs stare at her almost emotionless; just a tinge of annoyance. The photographer could mentally sense the irritation and dark aura being emanated from the purple-haired guy's body—but she wasn't afraid. Instead, her curious nature only caused her to know more. It was a mystery and she felt like she was getting closer to the answer. She wasn't going to back down now. This was her one and only chance.

The flutist wanted to glare at this girl and tell her not to pry any further. He wanted to slam her down against the sand and say harsh words. He wanted to see her cringe in fear and back away from him. He wanted her to cry. His anger felt almost uncontrollable now. It was at its peak and any more would definitely make his fuse blow. As much as his reputation was to him, he truly felt like he would rather let himself release his fury on this insolent, curious being in front of him who only annoyed him to the fullest. Yunoki couldn't take it. Having someone pry into his being, prying into his nature—prying into his soul. It was disturbing for he had hidden it for the longest of times and to someone he really didn't want knowing, it was going to be revealed? To be found? Preposterous yet astounding it seemed. He felt his body shake slightly more in rage as he gritted his teeth, mentally cursing this photographer with the harshest words and insults he could think of. He sensed her eyes not willing to avert themselves from his too. Those only made him feel more irritated.

"Well, it's not like its any business of mine," she began speaking again. _No, it's not, actually, you little witch,_ he thought. "But doing things like this, doesn't it just hurt you, yourself? I mean, to keep on hiding your true thoughts, your true feelings, doesn't that just make you feel more frustrated and upset? It's a little sad, isn't it? Just for the sake of your reputation. If you think about it properly, reputation isn't _that_ important." Yunoki felt his nails dig into palm as he clenched his fists tighter, his anger level almost overflowing. "You're just in denial by doing so. You're denying your true being and just hiding it to become someone else. You're being fake, senpai."

Next thing Amou knew, she was on the sandy ground staring up at the night sky. She felt her head hit the ground and the impact hurt her, causing her to be a little stunned. She squeezed her eyes for a quick moment and when she opened it, she saw herself looking up at an evidently furious flutist. She could feel her arms being pulled over her head and her hands being pinned down by his strong ones. She was trapped between him and the ground now. Her eyes were wide, alarmed by the sudden movement and sudden change in aura and mannerism in the boy on top of her. There was no more politeness. No more look of kindness. It was just dark and menacing. His eyes were still emotionless but there was a clear spark of irritation in them. His purple hair draped over his bent shoulders, lightly touching her shirt. The photographer had definitely caused him to show his true self, but in all honesty, she really felt afraid now. The boy who normally was kind and polite—a little feminine, too, appeared to transform into a dark, callous man who was undeniably strong and at this point, enraged.

The female brunette felt her pulse accelerate and her entire body tensed up as she stared at the flutist with wide, blue eyes which evidently showed fear was carved into her. Amou could almost feel the malice which was escaping from the boy's body; his entire being. It was the very first time she had seen so much rage in one person and felt such a dense aura around someone. She hadn't expected this at all and she could only feel fear rather than proud that she had succeeded in making him show his true form. She felt afraid; purely and utterly terrified. Her blood started rushing, causing her to feel light-headed and she found she could only hear the sounds of her heart thumping; drowning out every other sound there was out there, even the loud crashes of the waves against some rocks nearby. She found it hard to breath with her chest tightening and her entire being feel as if it were shrinking. It was like all the oxygen in her had been vacuumed out and she was nothing but a scared little girl staring at a nightmare. She suddenly jolted slightly as she felt a cold shiver travel down her spine and she let out a soft whimper of which she hadn't ever heard coming from herself before.

Her voice seemed to make an impact on the flutist. His eyes widened a little and the concentrated anger started to dissolve, replaced by a look of recognition of what he had done. There was still anger, no doubt, but he seemed to be in control of his body again. The purple-haired boy moved at an extremely slow pace, dragging his elbows away from their positions and pulling himself of the girl. He sat on the grainy surface with one of his knees facing the skies, placed his elbow on top of it and brought his hand to his face, extending his fingers onto his temple. Once he was off of her, Amou let out a swift breath, replaced with an inhalation of needed oxygen. She hadn't realised that she was holding her breath for so long.

"This is why," Yunoki suddenly said with his voice deep, causing the female brunette to freeze again at his voice, "one should not pry in the matters of others." He let out a soft sigh and rose from the sand. He looked at the stars distantly, his golden orbs emotionless once more. "I'll be returning to the villa first," he murmured. The girl listened, her body still petrified with shock and fear. Her heart was still beating at an abnormally fast pace and she was sure that she wouldn't be able to calm down with the presence on the flutist. Yunoki walked away and the sound of the sand shifting was heard. Amou didn't watch him, her eyes still glued onto the night skies. She only listened to his footsteps, waiting for relief to kick in when he was gone. Suddenly, she heard him stop walking and her heart skipped a beat. There were only the sounds of the waves and rustling trees to be heard and the brunette wondered what he was doing. She still couldn't move, her muscles frozen in the positions they were in. Instead she continued listening. For a long while, she didn't hear any footsteps or a voice. She wondered if the flutist had actually already walked away but she just hadn't heard properly and mistook the fading sounds of the steps as him stopping. Just as relief was going to take place in her body, terror took its place once again.

"I'm not going to apologise," she heard. "Even if you have found out about me and even if I scared the living hell out of you, I won't apologise," he told her. "For tonight, you were undeniably the most irritating, selfish and self-centred creature I've ever met, thinking that you'd like to know the true me. And now you know." She heard a little smirk before he continued. "Satisfied?" he asked with a mocking tone. The brunette then listened to the boy walk away once more.

This time, they faded away.

_Ah, yes, Yunoki, being cruel as ever towards someone he doesn't like. Surprise, surprise! Anyways, that's beside the point. I've got something important to let all you readers know. I'm sure that many of you must have realised by now that the main people Kaho is most likely to end up with is Tsuboshi Arashi and Tsukimori Len. I've actually gotten an idea on who she __**is**__going to end up with but I'm giving a chance to you readers to overthrow that idea. How?_

_Well. I've got a poll on my profile which allows you to vote who you'd like her to end up with. Only two people have voted, actually. xP But in any case, just vote for who you'd like her to be paired up with and depending on the number of votes for a character, I might just allow her to end up with that boy. xD Hooray? Ahah. Anyways, please do have a look! _

_Note: I won't be posting up the next chapter until there are at least 15 votes on the poll so that I can resume with the storyline!_

_That's about it. Once again, Merry Christmas, folks!_


	21. Fear

_Boy, I do believe that this is the first chapter of the year. *Cheers* Well. It's not much of an achievement since it's already March, heheh. Although to be fair, I've actually got a lot of work this year so I can't promise you guys a lot of updates this year. Next year, on the other hand, I can assure that my attention will be on this fic. That is, if I haven't finished it yet. xD Anyways, I do believe we're finally heading in the direction on the main plot. Hold your helmets, people! xD I've made this chapter long, longest one I've made so far, in compensation to my delay in updating. I hope you guys like it. That's about it for now. On to the kind reviews!_

_**fox-white-moon **__– Haha we'll see~ xD Thanks for reviewing!_

_**missuniverse18**__ – Lol, okay, I'll count that as your vote. xD Please do continue reading._

_**FeuWitch**__ – ROFL. Hokay, changed your vote, don't worry about it. xD Chillax, chillax. xD_

_**Complicatedgirl**__ – Aww, I'm sorry. Dx I'm afraid Azuma isn't really a choice of pairing for this fanfic. I've got other plans for him, ahah. You'll see, though. xD He is an intriguing character, isn't he?_

_**Paigeydoll **__– No worries! I'll just surprise you then xD _

Sakura125_ – I'm guessing Azuma is supposed to be dark, though. He's sort of a complicated character but he shows his expression on and off. I don't think he's really a bad person though. Just shows his emotions in an… Elaborative way, in my opinion. xD_

_**Shadow's Tears **__– Haha no worries. Thank you for reading it though, I'm glad you like it so far. xD_

_**Ren Nakamura **__– Ahah! True, true. I'll change the rating. I hadn't expected it to become T because I started writing it when I was younger. xD And no worries, I'll surprise you then! xD_

_**Hand Over the Bishies **__– Aww, thank you! I'm glad you like it! Lol! Yes, yes, Yunoki is… Sorta… Uh. Yummy, I guess? Hahaha. xD_

_**WaiiKitsune**__ – Haha yeap! LenHino action in that chapter. xD True, but I think if I were Yunoki I'd get pretty annoyed too. I'm sorta planning something for him so… Yeah~ xD I hope you continue reading! _

_**KashinoXIchigo4ever**__ – Uh. Well, yeah, it is long I guess haha. And umm, thank you? xD_

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**Fear**

Arashi rolled his lean body across his bed as he listened to the distant sounds of birds coming from outside of his window. He'd had gotten up possibly about an hour ago, perhaps even earlier, and hadn't been in the right mood to shake himself up and get out of bed. He hadn't eaten yet and despite his laziness to get up, his stomach seemed to be protesting. The brunette had a lot on his mind lately and lying in bed before and after sleeping was one of the times he always thought to himself. Meeting his childhood friend had been a bliss for him, one of which he was sure he'd remember for a long time. He hadn't even thought that he'd be able to meet her till he went to Tokyo next month, just a few weeks before school would've started. Meeting her here was an unexpected turn of events and even though he was thrilled to be by her side, memories of the past kept coming back to him, as some would call a nightmare, or even a promising yet bittersweet parting. He had planned to return and tell her what he had always been meaning to tell her since years ago, however, even though he'd miraculously found her _here_ of all places, he couldn't. Not yet. After all, the guitarist was sure that the poor girl had more than enough on her mind with losing her memories and everything—which then brought him to another fact he had been pondering over earlier.

Was it _really_ a good idea to keep it a secret?

Sure, Kaho was afraid of telling her friends and the fear also fed on her as her guilt for lying was increasing, Arashi knew. And even though he had told her, tried to persuade her that they definitely wouldn't judge her over such a thing—after all, how could they, really—she just wouldn't listen and allowed her anxiety to continuously grow. Another thing was that they were _bound _to find out sooner or later. A secret like this was impossible to be kept, especially if it's about getting amnesia. The hazel-haired boy groaned and curled his legs closer to his body, still thinking. He knew that she could procrastinate for as long as she wanted to but her friends would eventually find out anyways. Another thing was...

Arashi lifted his shut eyelids and stared at his maroon-coloured bed sheets, his eyes seemingly calculative and serious.

What if there really was something wrong with the crimson-haired girl? She mentioned that she had fallen into the lake, hadn't she? Whether she hit her head or not was something they both didn't know but what if something had happened? What if there was an internal injury that no one knew about and she could be—?

Arashi placed his lean fingers on the bridge of his nose, shutting his eyes again as he let out a long sigh.

No, he must not think of the worst. He'd just have to hope that there's nothing wrong and perhaps with time, everything will turn out alright. Yes, that's what he had to do, he decided. Hope for the best for the female violinist and be there for her. He had to be her support whenever she needed him and her comfort too. After all, he had decided this a long time ago. But there _was_ one thing he had to do.

The guitarist stretched out his hand to his bed side table and felt for his phone. Once he had gotten it, he took it closer to his face, opened his eyes and flicked the phone open. _9:30, _he thought. He placed back the phone carefully onto the table and shifted his body into a more comfortable position before sighing once again. _I'll go see her later or something_.

wxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxw

The crimson-haired girl mumbled softly as she awoke from her slumber, only to realise that she'd accidentally fallen asleep on Tsukimori's bed again. She raised her head from her folded arms and gazed at the blue-haired boy, dazed. He was asleep and it appeared that the flush from his cheeks earlier had faded away. Perhaps he was getting better, then. Kaho smiled at this. She then turned her attention to the digital clock which was placed on the bed side table. 9:30, it flashed.

"Nine thirty?" she mumbled to herself, still dazed. She then rose from her position, instantly feeling the ache of her back for sleeping in such an odd position. She then walked herself to the bathroom to wash her face. The cool water felt good on her skin, awakening her sleepiness. She took a quick look of herself in the mirror before exiting the bathroom once again. "Nine thirty," she mumbled to herself once again. _How odd,_ she thought. _It's only been about two hours since I've drifted off and yet it feels like I've slept for ages. I'm probably not going to be able to get any sleep tonight_.

She then decided to take a shower and change as she'd probably be up for another few hours since she felt quite wide awake. Once the female violinist was done, she headed downstairs, only to be hit by a whiff of a good Japanese meal waiting for her. At the dining table, everyone except for Tsukimori, Shimizu and Amou were there. The first to notice her was none other than Hihara Kazuki.

"Ah, Kaho-chan!" he cheered, his mouth still full with food in it. "Come and eat! The food's good."

Kaho paused before heading towards an empty seat, a curious question on her mind. _Hadn't they all eaten earlier?_ She wondered. After all, people didn't _normally_ eat dinner at 9:30. She decided to shrug it off, though. Perhaps the food wasn't prepared early enough—or something of the sort.

"How's Tsukimori, Hino-san?" Yunoki asked from across the table. Kaho looked up at him, memories of the previous day suddenly rushing back to her, causing her to be unable to answer his question for a moment. The purple-haired boy knew what she was thinking through the look in her eyes and for a brief moment, his eyes narrowed with pain—not like anyone had noticed. He forced another smile before calling her again. "Hino-san?"

"Huh? Oh—umm," she mumbled, snapping out of her momentary thoughts. "He's doing better, I think. He doesn't look to feverish anymore," she said and gave a brief smile.

Tsuchiura gave a chuckle. "He did sleep for quite a while. If he wasn't any better at all, I think we'd best be worried," he said before taking another lump of rice with his chopsticks.

_Were a few hours really that long?_ Kaho wondered. Normally it'd take a whole day or night to recover from a fever. Kaho decided to dismiss that thought. She probably was still a little dazed from her nap or something. She took another piece of her fish and chewed on it slowly.

"Hey, hey, everyone, want to go for a walk together after this?" Hihara asked, his eyes shining with excitement.

"I'll pass," Yunoki said, giving an apologetic smile. Hihara pouted at this.

"Why, Azuma?" he asked in a way a child would whine to its parents.

Yunoki gave a chuckle, only causing Hihara to pout more. "I think I'll just relax a little today. I just want some time alone."

Hihara gave a huff but said no more. "What about everyone else?"

"I don't really have anything else to do," Tsuchiura said while rubbing the back of his head, "so I'll come along." The trumpeter brightened up.

"What about you, Kaho-chan?" Hihara asked.

"I guess I'll come along," Kaho said, smiling. If she was going to have to stay up for many more hours, might as well spend it with others, she thought.

"Ah, if Kaho-senpai is going, m-may I come along too?" Fuyuumi asked in a soft stutter.

The light green-haired boy grinned at the clarinettist. "Of course! Kanayan?"

"Eh? Uh, well, I'll pass," Kanazawa said. "I'll be doing some other stuff, so you kids go have fun."

"So I guess its Kaho-chan, Fuyuumi-chan, Tsuchiura and me?" Hihara asked.

A voice suddenly came from the door of the dining room. "What's this?"

Everyone's gaze turned to the direction of which the voice came from. Standing at the entrance of the dining room was Tsukimori, dressed nicely and he looked much better compared to earlier. The first to react was Hihara.

"Tsukimori!" he cheered. "We're going for a walk in a bit; would you like to come along?" He gave a wide grin before continuing. "Only if you're feeling well enough, though."

The blue-haired boy paused before asking, "Who's going?"

"Oh, it's just Kaho-chan, Fuyuumi-chan, Tsuchiura and I," the trumpeter replied.

Tsukimori's eyes shifted to the crimson-haired girl's and lingered there for a moment before shutting his own to break their eye contact. He opened his eyes again when he was about to answer. "I'll come." His response seemed to shock everyone, including Hihara even though he was the one who invited the male violinist.

"S-Sure," Hihara replied, unsure of what else to say.

"W-Wait, Tsukimori-kun!" Kaho interjected. "You should be resting!"

The blue-haired boy ignored her protests and headed to an empty seat beside Yunoki. "I'm feeling alright, already."

"But—!" Kaho tried protesting but it didn't really seem like Tsukimori was going to listen.

"Thanks," he mumbled softly and Kaho instantly knew he was thanking her for taking care of him. Kaho hesitated before answering; wondering if she should insist that he should stay in bed.

In the end, she just settled with, "You're welcome."

wxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxw

Outside, in Kaho's eyes, the sky was a shade of dark blue with a mixture of dark purple which was a rare sight for one to see. It felt oddly warm and the wind that blew past them was not even considerably strong but powerful enough for one to feel the cool touch on one's skin. The five figures walked in separate groupings out of choice and there were two groups—one consisting of Hihara and Tsuchiura, whilst the other group consisted of Kaho, Tsukimori and Fuyuumi with Kaho walking in between the other two. They were heading towards the lake once again, thanks to the courtesy and suggestion of Hihara, and that itself made Kaho feel a little weird—after all, that was the place she had awoken without her memories. It felt like she was heading towards the place where it had all started and she wasn't too sure what to think of it.

Beside her, the green-haired girl was talking about cakes; a topic Kaho had initially started with her. Fuyuumi had mentioned that the cake shop they went to before had delicious, mouth-watering cakes but by not having any memories on it, Kaho just laughed and had agreed with whatever Fuyuumi was saying. On her other side, Tsukimori just walked along with them, completely silent, just listening uninterestedly to the girls meaningless conversations.

"It really is bright today, eh?" Hihara said loudly as he turned to the other group, his eyes shining brightly. Kaho felt a little startled at his bright eyes. How did he even manage such bright eyes in this darkness? Another thing of which she found peculiar was his question. She had to agree that the night sky was rather 'bright' compared to other night skies but normally one wouldn't ask or mention such a trivial detail.

Tsuchiura answered the trumpeter's question whilst placing a hand to hover over his eyes as he peered at the skies. "It really is, isn't it? Although it's not that hot."

Was it really that bright until one had to shield their eyes?

Perhaps Tsuchiura was being sarcastic, Kaho thought. However, before she could ponder over this fact any longer, she was interrupted by the voice of the blue-haired boy beside her. "Hino-san," he called. Kaho raised her gaze away from the ground at the sound of his voice.

It was then she realised that Fuyuumi had already stopped talking—and probably for a while now. In fact, Fuyuumi had gone to join the other group or rather had been taken by Hihara who seemed to want her opinion on the brightness of the day. Kaho mentally slapped herself for getting distracted and not paying attention to her junior. It seemed like Fuyuumi wasn't answering in too much of a stutter so she supposed that the clarinettist would be alright. No point neglecting Tsukimori-kun too, she thought.

"Hm?" she hummed and turned her head to face the male violinist. To her surprise, the boy wasn't even looking at her. He seemed to be staring straight ahead and by the looks of his expression, he seemed to be trying to figure out something—perhaps on what to say. Deciding to wait patiently, Kaho turned her attention to the group in front of them who were approximately two metres away to observe them.

After a prolix pause, Tsukimori finally spoke again, his voice much softer. "I wanted to thank you for taking care of me when I was sick."

The crimson-haired girl gave a light-hearted laugh. "Didn't you thank me already?"

"I wanted to thank you properly," he admitted, his voice still very low.

Kaho spun her head to face him again. "Don't worry abou—" The rest of her sentence was cut off from her lips the moment she saw his face. He was looking away, one of his hands covering his mouth. But the thing that caught the female violinist's attention was his cheeks. They were red; he was blushing.

_Tsukimori _was blushing.

The crimson-haired girl gaped at him, shocked. When her shock eventually dispersed, she found curiosity getting the better of her. An involuntary smile twitched on her lips as she slowly rounded the blue haired boy, leaning in. "Hey, Tsukimori-kun," she called softly.

Not sensing her coming closer, the male violinist just remained, his face still turned away. "What?"

"Your face is a little red," she mumbled as she cautiously peered, afraid of frightening him off.

The intensity of the red colour on his cheeks increased and he brushed a hand over his face. "It's hot," he said matter-of-factly.

"Maybe you're getting a little sick again—let me see." Kaho was almost at the right angle to see his face now.

"N-No, I'm fine," he said quickly. This time, however, Tsukimori noticed her. Not wanting her to see his face, he jerked away, trying to get his face out of view.

"Whoa!" Kaho, shocked by the sudden jerk lost her balance from her feet, toppled forwards towards him and they rolled off the pathway and onto the soft grass. She felt her body spin many times as she clutched onto something, her mind starting to go dizzy. Once she came to a stop, she groaned, realising that she had unconsciously shut her eyes when she fell. She stayed still, trying to allow her dizziness to fade away as she took a few deep breathes to pump in more oxygen to help. Feeling a little better, she shifted from her position. That was when she realised she wasn't on solid ground. She snapped her eyes open and saw that she seemed to be clutching onto some clothes. Panicking slightly, she pushed herself up and found herself in an awkward position.

She was on top of Tsukimori.

Literally, on top of him. She flinched when he suddenly groaned and brought a hand to his head. His eyes were still shut; he didn't seem to have realised that the crimson-haired girl was on top of him. Yet. Kaho's cheeks flared up as her blood rushed to them and her heartbeat started to accelerate. _What's with this position?_ She mentally asked, panicking. Before she managed to scramble off him, Tsukimori then lifted his eye lids and their eyes met.

They froze and started staring at each other, becoming completely unaware of the rest of their surroundings. Kaho watched him as he watched her, her eyes wide open and her eyebrows shot up. They watched each other, both pairs of golden eyes showing the same expression; shock. From what she could see, Tsukimori's cheeks were shaded red, too. Ah, well, at least now she ha a clear view of what he was hiding. Except it _had_ to be in the most awkward situation. She could feel her heart beating quickly, her nervousness gnawing on her. Then, she heard something else. It was a similar sound to the sound of her heart, rhythm also at a quick pace, possibly at the same pace as hers.

But it wasn't coming from her.

Her eyes widened larger—even though it seemed almost impossible for them to—when she realised where it was coming from; Tsukimori. The male violinist's heartbeat was just as fast as hers… So she _wasn't_ the only one nervous here. Knowing that, she found herself instantly relaxing a little, the tension in her shoulders retreating and her eyelids lowering ever so slightly. However, her body was still in its frozen state, as was the body of the male violinist beneath her. It seemed that with her tension leaving, Tsukimori seemed to relax a little too and this time, they just gazed at each other with unreadable expressions, their eyes glazed. Little did they know, that each pair of eyes had another thing they shared in common other than the colour; longing. Before any one of them managed to realise it however, they were interrupted by a calling.

"Kaho-chan! Tsukimori! Are you two okay?" called Hihara, who sounded evidently panicked.

At the sound of his voice, Kaho immediately jolted upright and scrambled off the blue-haired boy, her cheeks flaring up once again, heat emitting violently from them. Her heartbeat which had slowed down started to speed up once more, beating loudly in her chest. She turned to look away from both Tsukimori and the group who was on the pathway, trying to compose herself.

Tsukimori himself was already getting up, wiping the grass that stuck onto his pants while hiding away his face with one of his hands. Not that anyone could see, but his face was just as red as Kaho's and he himself was trying to quickly regain his composure.

"Kaho-chan?" yelled the trumpeter who was already running downwards to check whether both his friend and the girl he liked was alright.

"W-We're fine!" Kaho yelled, still not turning to face the cheerful boy. She buried her face in her cool hands and rubbed them. She could still hear the sound of heart, beating wildly in her chest and she hadn't the faintest idea on how to slow it down. She shut her eyes, trying to clear her head of the awkward situation she was in and tried thinking of something else. She then just pictured a blank whiteness in her head and focused on that. Simple, plain white. Pure, calm and serene. Soon enough, she did manage to calm down. By the time she did, Hihara was already by her side, crouching down beside her.

"Did you hurt yourself?" he asked anxiously, gesturing her to take his hand.

"N-No," she stuttered, thankful that her face didn't feel as heated up and her heartbeat was slowing down to a normal pace. She gave him a small smile and took his hand, allowing him to support her to get up. "Thanks."

"No worries," he said, his cheeks flushing slightly as he gave her a grin. He looked down at his hands in a bittersweet way when Kaho released them after she got up. The female hadn't noticed though. "Oh!" The trumpeter swung round to face behind him, where Tsukimori was standing. "Are you alright, Tsukimori?" he asked, unaware that he had just made the blue-haired boy an afterthought.

"I'm fine," the male violinist replied coolly. He then pursed his lips slightly and glanced at the crimson-haired girl. Unknown to her, her cheeks were still slightly pinkish. Seeing this, Tsukimori felt a little awkward once more. "Hino-san, are you alright?" he asked, failing at hiding his concern.

Kaho ducked her head. "Y-Yeah."

Tsukimori paused. "I'm sorry about that."

Instantly, the crimson-haired girl looked up, bewildered. "For what?" she asked. "I should be the one apologising. I was the one who toppled and fell on you, it wasn't your fault," she said quickly, not taking a breath in between any of her sentences. One she finished, though, she remembered the situation they were in and her cheeks became red once more. The male violinist looked at her with a surprised expression. He didn't expect her to be so defensive but at the same time, he found it oddly cute. He inwardly smiled to himself at this.

Hihara, who felt uncomfortable with the awkward/ intimate atmosphere in the air, gave a laugh to change it. "I'm glad you guys are alright," he said, his laughter sounding out of place. "Should we go now?" Kaho smiled slightly and nodded. Tsukimori just shrugged. "Okay! Let's go!" the trumpeter cheered and dragged the two along with him.

When they had caught up with the other two, all five of them walked together instead of splitting up into different groups like they had earlier due to Hihara's reluctance to leave Tsukimori and Kaho alone again. After all, look at where that had led them to.

Once they finally reached the lake, Hihara was on a topic about a café he had found a while back before summer holidays had started and he was suggesting that they all go to it one day to eat cake. Kaho, even though she didn't know where it was, was quite excited at the elaborative descriptions Hihara gave to her on the taste and décor of the cakes they sold there. Fuyuumi, too, seemed quite interested. Tsuchiura on the other hand was trying to warn them not to eat too much desserts as it would be unhealthy whereas Tsukimori just kept silent, thinking that the conversation was much too worthless to be joining in.

"We're here!" Hihara cheered. In that instant, Kaho immediately lost all focus on the conversation and turned to gaze at the lake; the place where everything had started for her.

Except, there was something very wrong about it.

There, under the bluish-purple sky, was the lake, it's clear water shining magnificently and reflecting the view of the sky. However, it wasn't the same sky that she saw. There, on the surface of the water, was a reflection of a bright lit sky, it's colour a light blue; the normal colour it'd have during the day. The clouds were a clear white, much different compared to the greyish clouds she could see hovering right there in the dark skies. It was wrong. Very, very wrong. The reflection in the lake was showing the skies of the daytime. But what Kaho could see, was up there, the skies were clearly of the night.

What was going on here?

Suddenly, without warning, a sharp pain struck in her head, causing her to fall to her knees and clutch her head. A violent pounding instantly came, making the pain unbearable and causing her to yelp. She could hear a ringing sound loud and deafening in her ears which only contributed to her pain, making her head ache more. Her vision was starting to blur as the images started to sway, the grass below her changing back and forth from a shadowed shade of green to bright green. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to get rid of the confusing images. Her mind felt like it was shattering, the indescribable pain too much for her to bear. She felt like screaming but her voice was jammed in her throat.

_Help!_

Nothing was happening; the pain was still there, torturing her, tormenting her.

_Make it stop!_

The hammering continued and she felt sharp jolts in her head.

_Please._

She wanted to cry out but she could still hear nothing other than the ringing in her ears and the hammering inflicting pain on her mind.

_Please._

More pain came and her headache was just developing to become worse.

_Please._

More hammering, more sharp jolts.

_Please_.

It was torture.

_**Please.**_

In abrupt moment, the hammering, sharp jolts and ringing noise stopped. She heard herself gasp for air and oxygen pushed it's way into her lungs, slowly getting into her circulatory system. She relaxed her body, allowing it to go limp, feeling liberal from the pain that had just inflicted her. She relaxed her eye lids, not squeezing them shut anymore but not feeling comfortable enough to open them either. Kaho just relaxed herself, trying not to think of anything for the moment. The next thing she heard however, were frantic, anxious voices, all calling her name.

"Kaho-chan!"

"Hino!"

"Hino-san!"

"Kaho-senpai!"

And they repeated, over and over again, making the headache harder to subside. Knowing that they wouldn't stop until she said something, she spoke despite her tiredness.

"I'm alright," she breathed. Despite those words, they all clearly knew she was the opposite.

"What happened?" Tsukimori demanded.

Tsuchiura told him to back off. "Let her relax a little," he insisted, trying to give her some space.

After a few silent minutes, Kaho finally lifted her eye lids, revealing a pair of very tired golden eyes. Only then did she realise that she was covered in sweat and was no longer on her knees; she was lying down, facing upwards. She saw four faces, all hovering over her, staring down anxiously at her. That was when she realised something else. Hovering over the faces above her, the sky was light blue. It was day time. She inwardly groaned, wondering what the hell was going on. The crimson-haired girl didn't want to think, though. Her head was just starting to recover mildly and it was still throbbing a little.

"Are you alright, Kaho-senpai?" Fuyuumi asked, almost in tears with anxiety.

"I'll be fine," the female violinist replied, unable to give a reassuring smile.

"Let's get her back to the villa," Tsuchiura suggested.

Hihara nodded instantly. "Let's," he agreed. "Should I carry Kaho-chan or…?"

"I'll do it," came the unexpected reply from Tsukimori.

Tsuchiura and Hihara turned their heads to face him, surprised at his offer. His eyes were strong and solid, not showing any emotion but with one glance, they could tell they were dead serious.

"Don't worry about it, Tsukimori, I'll do it," Hihara said, giving a small grin to lighten the situation. "As your senpai, I should—"

"I'll do it," Tsukimori repeated, his voice steely, indicating that there should be no arguments. Tsuchiura and Hihara didn't protest but they were quite shocked at the blue-haired boy's behaviour. There had been times where he was quite strong on his words but it was normally never concerned with another person as far as they could tell. But for him to be so serious all of a sudden with Kaho…

Tsuchiura scratched the back of his head and sighed. "Okay, you do that."

"I'll go run to the villa first to let Kanayan know so that we can get her some medicine or something; she doesn't look too good," Hihara said.

"N-No," Kaho groaned. "You don't have to tell sensei."

"But Kaho-chan," Hihara pleaded. "You look terrible."

Before the crimson-haired girl managed to protest once more, she was interrupted by the other violinist.

"Please do, Hihara-senpai."

The trumpeter nodded and gave an apologetic look to Kaho even though she couldn't see it. He had to do what was best for her, even if it meant going against her wishes. And with that, he sped off towards the villa.

"I-I'll go to the convenience store quickly and get a cold drink for her," Fuyuumi sniffed. "Maybe she's dehydrated. I'll try catch up with you quickly."

Tsuchiura sighed once again. Stay with Kaho or go with Fuyuumi? He didn't want to leave the crimson-haired girl—not when she was in such a vulnerable and weak state. However, he couldn't let Fuyuumi, that timid and shy girl go off to the convenience store by herself. He'd feel terrible. That's why, in the end, he decided to do the latter. "I'll come with you," he said.

The clarinettist looked surprised. "I-Its alright, I can go on my own," she said shyly.

"I'm coming with you," Tsuchiura insisted. "Let's go." A surprised look still plastered onto the green-haired girl's face, she trailed along behind the pianist as he head off in the direction of the convenience store.

Tsukimori watched as the two figures went off. Once they were gone, he then shifted his gaze downwards to the crimson-haired girl once more. Her eyes were finally open now but she was gazing upwards at the skies. She looked so unbelievable frail, perspiration trickling down her pale face. She petite body looked smaller than what it did before. One of her arms was placed on top of her stomach whilst the other was balancing on top of her forehead as she gazed at the skies above. Her eyes were a dim shade of gold and looked extremely lifeless. She looked so… Weak.

"Are you alright?" he asked. His voice was considerably softer and had a tone of genuine concern.

Kaho's gaze slowly drifted to Tsukimori and she gave a wanly smile. "I've been better," she admitted.

The blue-haired boy pursed his lips, wondering how she could joke in such a situation. "I'm going to carry you back to the villa," he informed her. "I'll let you ride my back."

The female violinist nodded slightly and after a momentary pause, tried to get up from her position. Tsukimori helped her, gingerly supporting her back as she tried to sit upright. When he managed to get her to stand, he crouched down so that she could climb his back. After a minute of reluctance, she eventually did, allowing her weak body to lean on his back as he clutched her legs with his arms. He then rose, realising that she was actually really light compared to what she thought she would be. Then he wondered if she had lost weight due to all the times she had avoided her meals.

Tsukimori set off from the lake with Kaho on his back at a slow pace, careful not to make the girl feel uncomfortable. He didn't want to rush as he was afraid that he might rock her while carrying her and cause her to get another headache—or at least, that was what it looked like she was having. The crimson-haired girl had been having far too many headaches for his liking and from what he had seen; this one had been the worst. He felt anxious for the girl, wondering what it was that was causing so many frequent headaches. He wondered whether there was something wrong with her medically and really hoped that there wasn't but still… It wasn't normal. And every time he tried to confront her, she'd avoid him. He had never gotten a proper answer out of her.

"Tsukimori-kun."

Her unexpected sudden call broke through his train of thoughts.

"What is it?" he asked.

Pause.

When she didn't reply, he tried glancing over his shoulder even though he knew it would do him to good. "Hino-san?"

She was silent for a little longer but she eventually spoke again. This time, she asked a question though. "Is it night or day?"

Tsukimori didn't reply instantly, taken aback at the question. "What?" he asked confused. Kaho didn't say anymore though. She remained silent, not explaining her question. When the male violinist realised that she was seriously asking the question, he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Then, he smoothened them out and answered her odd question. "It's day time," he replied. "The sun's out and the skies are bright," he elaborated, somehow feeling the obligation of doing so. The girl was silent for a few more minutes.

"I see," she mumbled after her long pause.

And that was it.

Kaho didn't say anymore. She didn't bother explaining why she had asked such an odd question. She didn't bother telling him why it mattered whether it was night or day. She didn't bother telling him why she had to ask him such a question which had an obvious answer.

Nothing.

Tsukimori felt like he wanted to press on, to ask why, but sensing her tired state, he decided against it. And with that, they just head off to the villa in silence.

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When the four figures returned to the villa—Fuyuumi, Tsuchiura, Kaho and Tsukimori—everyone else was in frenzy thanks to Hihara's exaggeration on the incident which had occurred earlier. Kanazawa was standing at the door, telling them to get Kaho quickly inside and to get her to her room to rest. Everyone else, Amou, Yunoki, etc. were there, watching them anxiously. Kaho, appalled to everyone's panic, tried to assure them that she was alright; that she just had a headache.

"I'm fine!" she said, exasperated. She wasn't in a mood to argue but she definitely didn't like all the unnecessary attention she was getting. She was alright already—just tired. They didn't need to get all frantic. She didn't want them to get all frantic. It made her feel bad to have them worry about her.

"Maybe we should get her to tell us what happened," a voice suggested. "Kazuki tends to over exaggerate sometimes." Still on Tsukimori's back, Kaho glanced towards the direction of the voice of her saviour.

It was Yunoki.

He gave her one of his fake smiles which showed encouragement. Somehow, Kaho felt like it wasn't really fake though. When their eyes met, she felt a little awkward after all that had happened between them. She didn't really understand what had happened but all in all, she didn't think that it was really a pleasant thing. And the way he looked at her… It sort of made her feel like he was having some sort of restraint. Restraint for what, however, she did not have a clue. Nevertheless, she felt thankful for his words—she had a chance to make everyone else stop panicking.

"That's true," Kanazawa said, starting to slow down as he realised that that was true. Hihara _did_ have a tendency to over exaggerate. "What _did _happen, Hino?"

Finally, she had a chance to tell everyone it was alright. But when she did, everyone else went silent and that just made her nervous. "I—umm…" The words weren't coming out.

After a long stretch of silence, Tsuchiura gave a sigh. "We went to the lake," he began, diverting all the attention to him, including the female violinist's. "Once we got there though, Hino fell to the floor clutching her head and started breaking out cold sweat. We got her to lie on her back and after a few minutes she started to relax but she was exhausted. I'm guessing it was a really bad headache," he said, glancing at Kaho. She nodded. "Was that all, though, Hino?"

At once, all the attention was locked onto her once again. "Y-Yeah," she agreed. "It was just a bad headache. Nothing else." She didn't mention about the fact she had seen the skies dark out as if it were night earlier.

Kanazawa bit the bottom of his lip. "Well," he said. "That Hihara really _did _over exaggerate."

"What did he say?" Tsuchiura asked, feeling a little curious.

Kanazawa gave a sigh and rubbed his neck. "He said that Hino suddenly collapsed to the floor when you guys got to the lake. That Hihara was panicking and said that she had looked really pale and he swore he thought that she was dying."

The entire room was silent.

"Quite obviously not dying," came a light chuckle from the flutist. His chuckled lightened up the mood and the rest of them started giving chuckles and light giggles. The tension in the air was lifted almost immediately. All of them felt much more relaxed now. All, except for Amou who was completely tensed up beside him. As if she couldn't take it anymore, she moved away and stood beside Shimizu who was leaning against the wall, once more in a daze when he realised that Kaho was alright. No one would've believed that he too was frantic just a few seconds ago if they'd look at his sleepy, carefree state now.

"Where is he anyways?" Tsuchiura asked, glancing around the room for the trumpeter who had caused a ruckus.

"He's gone to get some panadols for Hino," Kanazawa replied.

The pianist nodded in approval. "That'd be good for her."

"I'm taking her up now," Tsukimori interrupted. They all looked at him and nodded. The male violinist then headed up the stairs with the crimson-haired girl on his back. Kaho felt thankful that the situation was cleared and that everyone wasn't freaking out anymore. Now that that was settled, she could relax.

When Tsukimori had gotten them both to their room, he laid her gently on her bed, careful not to cause any pain or discomfort to her petite body. He gazed upon her fair arms and the rest of her body, wondering how she could be so tiny. Perhaps it was just him not being used to seeing a woman's body. Then, he lifted his gaze to her face and was surprised to find her staring at him.

"Thank you," she said, her voice extremely soft but audible.

Seeing her look so weak, Tsukimori had the urge to brush away the strands of hair on her face and telling her it was alright. He wanted to run his hand through the red locks like he had the night before when he had woken up from his slumber only to find the girl sleeping vulnerably next to him on the side of his bed. He wanted to make her relax and feel comfortable. He felt oddly protective over the girl. Once it suddenly occurred to him what exactly he was thinking of, he mentally hit himself and restrained himself from doing so. The next thing he did was wonder what the hell he was thinking.

"Tsukimori-kun?" she called when he didn't give a reply.

The male violinist just watched her for a moment, his eyes softening. "Get some rest," he said and got up from the edge of the bed.

"I'm kind of… Not tired," she admitted.

The blue-haired boy just walked to the door and opened it. "Lie down, then." He then exited the room and shut the door behind him, leaving the girl alone in the room.

She lay there silently for a few minutes before getting up from her bed and walking over to the desk located beside it. She stared down at a small handbag that was placed on it, most likely to be hers, she figured. Then, she placed her hands on the table and her eyes widened at the sight of them; they were trembling. That was when she realised that her entire body was trembling. She shook and inhaled deeply, finally realising the fear that was gnawing at her like a ravenous animal. Tears formed in her eyes and dropped to the table, leaving tiny spots of salt water on it. Her chest felt heavy and she found it hard to breathe. She choked a sob which escaped from her lips.

_What was all that?_

What was with the apparent night sky? What was with the fact she could see it was night even though it had been day? How did she finally manage to see the proper day sky? What was with the worst headache that followed with the most excruciating pain she had ever felt? What—? …Questions spiralled around in her mind as she sobbed silently to herself.

What was happening to her?

A sudden vibration came from the table, causing her to flinch in surprise as her thoughts were interrupted. A song followed after it. It was a phone ringing. And it was coming from the purse. She glanced around the room, half expecting someone to come in and answer it but no one did. The crimson-haired girl then cautiously picked up the handbag and unzipped it. The song was louder now that the bag wasn't muffling its sound. She then saw the cause of the sound—a red coloured cell phone. Kaho lifted the phone out of the bag and stared at it for a moment as it continued ringing.

Caller unknown.

The crimson-haired girl pursed her lips, wondering whether or not she should answer it. It _was_ most likely hers, as she was the only girl in the room unless of course Amou or someone had left their bag by accident. She couldn't remember, to be frank, whether it was hers or not. But suppose it was, what was she going to say the caller when she most likely didn't know the caller either? It would be awkward to try and continue a chat or having to answer a question from someone she couldn't remember. But still… She couldn't help but feel guilty to not answer. So in the end, after another moment of reluctance, she mustered her courage. She took a deep breath and suppressed her tears, trying to make her voice not crack. Then, she answered.

"Hello?"

She hadn't expected to hear the voice which soon came. "Kaho-chan," the voice replied, a thankful tone evident. "I was just wondering what I'd have to do if you changed your number."

Hearing that calm, carefree voice of which she recognised, her eyes widened in surprised. A wave of relief hit her instantly. Her tears immediately trickled down uncontrollably as she didn't find the need to suppress them any longer. A warm feeling formed in her chest as she felt like she was no longer alone. "Arashi…-Kun," she breathed, her words coming out in a sob.

Instantly realising that she was crying, the guitarist's voice became serious. "Kaho-chan? Kaho-chan, what's wrong?"

The female violinist choked back a sob. Her legs went weak on her, causing her to slump onto the floor. She sat there and looked downwards at the floor as the tears continued to roll down her cheeks.

"Kaho-chan? H-Hey, are you—"

"I…" she sniffed. "I'm scared." The words came out slowly, her voice trembling.

"Of what?" Arashi asked, his voice much softer and in a calming tone.

"I… I had another headache. It was the worst one I've had," she said, sniffing. "I don't know what to—I…" The guitarist waited for her to finish her sentence. "I'm scared," she whispered.

There was a long pause on the other line. "Kaho-chan, are you in the villa?" he asked.

"Huh?" she mumbled. "Umm, yeah," she replied, her voice still trembling.

"I'm coming now, just wait for me."

With that, Arashi hung up. Kaho hesitantly took the phone away from her ears and brought it down so that she could shut it. Arashi was coming. He was coming to the villa. Kaho's shoulders slumped in relief as she leaned against the bed beside her. He was coming. And that was all that mattered to her now.

wxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxw

When the brunette arrived, Tomita had allowed him in and no one else had noticed as they were all busy doing something else. Arashi easily managed to get to Kaho's room without anyone noticing. He didn't want the extra attention, after all. It seemed that if there was something up with Kaho, she' want to talk about it privately. He entered the room quietly and shut the door behind him before glancing around for the girl. When he found her, he was surprised to see her on the floor beside the bed, leaning on it. He rushed over to her in a blink of an eye.

"Kaho-chan," he called anxiously. She glanced up at the sound of his voice, revealing her face which had evident tear tracks on her cheeks. Arashi crouched beside her and held both her shoulders gently. "Are you alright? What happened?" The crimson-haired girl leaned into his chest and buried herself there, finding the need of comfort. The brunette was slightly alarmed at the girls' unexpected actions but allowed her to do so anyways. He wrapped his hands around her protectively, and gently rubbed her back, trying to calm her down.

They remained like that for a long time. Kaho's breathing started to slow down after a while and Arashi continued rubbing her back, his pace becoming slower. Once he felt that it was appropriate, he spoke up. "You alright?" The girl in his arms nodded slowly almost as if she was unsure. "What happened?"

Kaho didn't reply immediately. The brunette just remained silent as he waited patiently for her to tell him what had happened. Finally, she spoke, her voice no longer cracked; just very soft. "We went to the lake just now," she mumbled. "Tsukimori-kun, Hihara-senpai, Tsuchiura-kun, Fuyuumi-chan and myself." The brunette nodded, encouraging her to go on. She pursed her lips. "I thought it was still night time," she admitted. "And when we stepped outside, I saw the skies were dark. They looked like they were bluish purple to me. Everyone else was saying that it was a bright day and things like that…" She fiddled pointlessly with her fingers, feeling a little nervous. "I thought that they meant that it was bright for night time. I really thought that it was 9 something at night, not morning. But when we got to the lake…" she trailed off. The female violinist paused for a moment and took in a deep breath. "The lake reflected the morning sky, not the night. From what I could see, it was weird. Everything felt so wrong. That was when I got a really bad headache. And once my headache was gone…" She gulped before finishing her sentence. "I could see the morning sky."

There was silence after that. Arashi who was beside her had tensed up and didn't know what to say. It wasn't normal, he thought. It wasn't just normal, frequent headaches. The fear he had had from the morning came rushing back. There was no way there wasn't something wrong with her. From what she had just said, she had been hallucinating—and a headache soon followed after. Was there really something wrong with her head, internally? Had the impact from her fall affected something? Hallucination wasn't something normal and neither were really bad headaches. Fear was eating at his heart. Fear for the crimson-haired girl. His stomach was feeling queasy and his chest felt heavy. _God, please don't let something be wrong with her._ He quickly tried to compose himself. He wouldn't tell her this, he decided. She was already going through a lot. He'd keep it quiet for now. He inhaled a deep breath and shut his eyes, trying to calm himself. There was no point making her panic now. If he didn't keep calm, how was she going to?

Arashi swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat before speaking. "Have you ever had any other… Hallucinations?" he murmured, trying to be careful with his words. The girl hesitantly nodded and that made the queasy feeling in his stomach just increase.

"I've had one when I was in the bath. I saw a figure coming for me," she said quietly. "Another time, I—" She hesitated. How was she going to tell her childhood friend that she had an illusion of Tsukimori with her in bed? "I-I saw a figure when I was in bed," she mumbled softer, hoping that Arashi wouldn't press on. He didn't. How could he, when his mind was preoccupied with worry for the girl in his arms? When the brunette didn't say anything, she lifted her eyes to look at him. Being buried in his arms, she could only see his chin, though. "Arashi-kun?"

He twitched and the tension in his shoulders went away. He was silent for a few more seconds before he started to stroke the girl's hair gingerly in reassurance. "Don't worry, it'll be alright," he murmured but somehow he felt like he was saying the words to himself. He pulled away from her and took a look at her face—she still looked afraid even though she had stopped crying. He gave her a reassuring smile and cupped her cheeks, rubbing them with his thumb. "It'll be alright," he repeated. "I'll be with you."

The fear in her face started to subside and she gave him a small smile. "Thank you," she whispered. Arashi sighed and leaned his forehead on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it," he said, his voice equally soft. She started rubbing his back, somehow feeling obligated to. Arashi relaxed in her arms, mentally telling himself to calm down and to not think of the worst. Maybe it was just a phase, he hoped. Maybe it_ was_ going to be alright. But there was one thing he was sure of; they had to do something.

After a few more minutes, he pulled away from her and looked at her directly in the eye. He bit his lip before speaking once more. "I actually wanted to tell you something," he said as he moved beside her to lean on the bed as well.

"What is it?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

Pause. "I think you should tell them about your amnesia," he said, getting straight to the point. Kaho's eyes widened at this and her voice got stuck in her throat.

"N-No, I—"

Before she managed to protest, Arashi continued speaking. "I don't think you should continue hiding it, Kaho-chan. They'll eventually find out sooner or later. Something like this—you can't hide it forever. You know that. I know you know it." The crimson-haired girl still looked shocked, nearly appalled. "Let's be rational here, Kaho-chan," he murmured. "The faster you tell them, the faster we can get you checked. Maybe we can get a specialist to help you get your memories back."

"N-No, please, I—"

"They won't leave you," he murmured, his voice almost sounding desperate. His words shocked her, rendering her speechless. "I've seen them. And though I may not know them very well, I can tell that they really care for you." He paused for a moment, trying to compose himself when he realised his tone of voice was no longer calm. "I think you might end up hurting them if you keep hiding it from them like this," he said quietly.

When it finally occurred to her that what Arashi said was true, that she _would_ end up hurting them by hiding it, guilt engulfed her. Tears formed in her eyes which were still wide open and dropped down onto her lap. The brunette's emerald eyes widened open, shocked that the girl was crying. "K-Kaho—I, I'm sorry," he said quickly, mentally hitting himself for making her cry. "I didn't mean to make you cry, I—"

"No," she whispered and buried her face in her hands. "Arashi, you did nothing wrong, it's me," she said, her lips trembling. "I've done something terrible. I've been so selfish, I just—oh god. What have I done?"

Arashi's gaze softened as he looked at her with a sad expression. He placed an arm around her shoulder and gently pulled her to lean on him. "You've done nothing wrong, Kaho-chan…Anyone in your situation would be scared."

"But the problem is," she sobbed, "that even though I think you're right, they won't leave me, I still feel terrified." She pressed her hands harder onto her face. "I'm horrible."

"You aren't." Arashi removed his arm from her shoulder and instead, placed it on her wrists. He gently tugged at them but that just made her press her hands to her face even harder, not wanting to remove them. The guitarist applied more force and pulled her hands away from her face without harming her or hurting her. Kaho who wasn't strong enough, had her hands peeled away from her face despite all her efforts to hide it. Arashi stared at her for a moment, watching her tear-stricken face, noticing her nose and eyes were red. He let out a soft chuckle. "You _look_ horrible though," he joked.

Kaho clearly wasn't amused. She dropped her gaze, sniffing. The brunette gave a small smile and released one of her wrists and brought his hand to tilt her chin upwards. "Hey," he murmured. "I'll be there with you. We'll do this together, Kaho-chan."

She sniffed again. "You really think I should tell them?"

Her childhood friend nodded. "Yeah. I think it's for the best."

"The best?"

He nodded again. Kaho pursed her lips and shut her eyes, taking a deep breath. She remained quiet for a while, thinking about what Arashi had just proposed and suggested. A few minutes, she spoke. "Okay," she said, sounding a little unsure. "I'll tell them."

Arashi's emerald green eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Y-Yeah." She started to get up from the floor, carefully lifting herself up. The boy beside her immediately stood up and offered her a hand of which she gratefully accepted. "I'll go wash my face," she informed him and went into the toilet.

The guitarist sighed and brushed his hair backwards with his hands, running his fingers in his hair. He hadn't thought that he'd be able to convince her to tell the others so easily. He had expected her to protest more and possibly make a bit of a fuss but she didn't. He didn't think it would've been this easy. Although, Arashi definitely hadn't expected to make her cry. He knew her; she probably felt guilty and that was why she felt so awful. But he knew that she wasn't a horrible person. On the contrary, she was an extremely sweet girl who thought of others rather than herself most of the time. She hated getting others worried about her and she felt really bad if she hid things. He knew. That's why, no matter what, he decided that he'd be there to support her. If it was for her, he'd do anything.

The toilet door opened, disrupting Arashi's thoughts. Kaho entered back into the room looking much better compared to before. The fact she had been crying was completely hidden. She looked alright now. She turned to face her childhood friend and gave him a smile. Arashi smiled back.

"I'm still nervous," she admitted.

"That's normal," the brunette said. "You ready?"

"I'll never be," she joked a little, giving a half grin. "Let's go?"

Arashi walked towards her and squeezed her hand in reassurance. "Let's."

As they descended the stairs, they bumped into Kanazawa. "Whoa," he said when he noticed the two were holding hands. Arashi and Kaho immediately let go of each others hands, flustered. Kanazawa didn't press on anymore about it though. "Are you alright, Hino?"

"Huh? Oh, umm, yeah. Thanks."

"Oh, right, here are the panadol pills," her sensei said as he fished something out his pocket. He then handed her a packet of white pills. "I thought you were sleeping so I didn't give it to you earlier." Kaho took them from him and thanked him.

"Kanazawa-sensei," she said, suddenly serious. "I need to talk to everyone about something."

The teacher looked at her, confused at her sudden seriousness. "Uh, sure, everyone's in the dining room," he said. "We're going to eat lunch. Why don't you tell us there?"

The crimson-haired girl nodded and smiled. "Thanks," she said.

"So, umm, I'll meet you there," the sensei said, feeling a little awkward between the two. He went off first, leaving the two in the hallway.

Kaho sighed as if she had been holding her breath for a long time. "God, I was so nervous," she said, the words leaving shakily out of her mouth. Arashi chuckled lightly and ruffled her hair.

"And that was just the beginning," he joked. The crimson-haired girl grimaced at this.

"What if I end up not being able to tell them?" she asked, her voice considerably softer. The brunette squeezed her hand once more.

"You'll be alright. I'm here for you," he said. Kaho smiled to herself at this, her eyes softening and her heart feeling warm.

"Thank you," she whispered. They headed towards the dining room; the door was closed.

They stood outside for a long while, listening to the chattering inside coming from Kaho's friends. They weren't listening properly to tell what they were talking about but the chattering sounds made her feel a little better, somehow.

"Here we go," Arashi said, glancing at her and giving her a supportive smile.

Kaho smiled back, her smile faltering due to her nervousness. "Yeah," she mumbled, butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

Arashi gave her hand one last squeeze before letting go of it.

And with that, together, they entered the dining room.

* * *

_OHOH. See what I mean by us getting towards the main storyline? xD Or I guess some people would say climax or something of the sort. Hmm… Excited? xD Well, that's about it for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Do leave a review! More reviews means more motivation! More motivation means faster updates! xD_

_Over and out._


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